The Lady Chapel

Entering the Lady Chapel you meet a gracious, light and open space. The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries saw the rise of the cult of the Virgin Mary, and chapels in her honour were added to many churches and cathedrals, including Ely. This chapel is exceptional as it is by far the largest attached to any British cathedral. Its foundations were laid in 1321, just before the collapse of the central tower, and work continued despite the disaster. Its construction was overseen by John of Wisbech, whose memorial lies just in front of the doors.

It was completed in 1349, when it would have looked very different from today. It was highly coloured, with windows alive with stained glass and painted statues in the niches.

All this was destroyed in the sixteenth century during the Reformation, which, in keeping with Puritan convictions, rejected all forms of religious decoration. Traces of the paint can still be seen, and fragments of the glass survive in the central window on the south side. You can see the damage clearly – the exquisite figures in the lower niches have been defaced. and above these are the empty pedestals where the statues stood. It is believed that the carvings told the story of Mary’s life and miracles. Despite its beauty this is a place of brokenness; you may like to pause here and pray about the brokenness, grief or loss that you have experienced.

Above the altar is a new statue of Mary by David Wynne. It was installed in the year 2000, the third of the millennium sculptures. Most representations of Mary are passive, holding the child Jesus on her knee. Here she is expressive, exulting in the news that she is to be the mother of the Saviour. On the base of the statue are her words from St Luke’s Gospel: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord’ (Luke 1.38).

The Lady Chapel

The Lady Chapel

The Lady Chapel

The Lady Chapel

6 Comments CherryPie on Dec 17th 2018

6 Responses to “The Lady Chapel”

  1. lisl says:

    You are showing the detailof the Lady Chapel off so well, Cherie. And I like that modern take on the Virgin Mary

  2. So beautiful especially the carvings. I would so like to have seen the beauties in churches before the Reformation and damage caused by Cromwell and his troops. One can only imagine how even more wonderful churches would have been.

  3. That blue dress is ultra vivid.
    Her hair is too blonde.
    Actually the whole thing is very Ikea-ish.
    Very Swedish. :)