The beautiful, circular, Christ the Servant chapel in Coventry Cathedral. Built next to the previous cathedral bombed to ruins in the second world war
The architect Basil Spence insisted that instead of rebuilding the old cathedral, it should be kept in ruins as a garden of remembrance and that the new cathedral should be built alongside, the two buildings together effectively forming one church. The use of Great Gate sandstone for the new Coventry Cathedral provides an element of unity between the buildings. The cathedral was consecrated on 25 May 1962, and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, composed for the occasion, was premiered in the new cathedral on 30 May to mark its consecration. Coventry's new cathedral adopted a modernist design. The interior is notable for its huge tapestry of Christ, designed by Graham Sutherland. The Baptistry window designed by John Piper (made by Patrick Reyntiens), of abstract design that occupies the full height of the bowed baptistery, which comprises 195 panes, ranging from white to deep colours. The stained glass windows in the Nave, by Lawrence Lee, Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke, face away from the congregation. Spence's concept for these Nave windows was that the opposite pairs would represent a pattern of growth from birth to old age, culminating in heavenly glory nearest the altar—one side representing Human, the other side, the Divine.
Size: 5501px × 8252px
Location: Priory St, Coventry CV1 5FB
Photo credit: © Colin Walton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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