Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Statue was cared by Sir Jacob-Epstein during 1934-5 from a block of Subiaco marble. It was given to Coventry Cathedral at the wish of Lady Epstein and dedicated on 22 March 1969.

ECCE HOMO represents Christ before Pilate with his hands bound and a crown of thorns upon his head. *

*quoted from a plaque beneath the statue

THIS BELL inscribed in English & German with the word – PEACE FRIEDE was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, by Richard von Weizsacker, President of the Federal Republic of Germany during the Service of Reconciliation on the 50th Anniversary of the bombing of Coventry. November 14th 1990~*

*Quoted from a sign beneath the bell

This sculpture by Clarke Fitzgerald was given to the Cathedral by Christ Church, Cincinnati, USA in 1971.

A plumb-line is used to determine whether or not a building is standing straight. This sculpture is based on a passage from the Bible, Amos 7.7-9, where God sets out his intention to assess whether or not his people are aligned with him. Amos is warned that, if necessary, God will take action to put things right…

This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’*

*Quoted from a signboard next to the sculpture

This Chapel has as its focus a replica of an extraordinary piece of art – the Stalingrad Madonna.

The curved figure of the Virgin Mary enfolds her baby in her hood, her eyes closed. The words around her translate as ‘1942 Christmas in the cauldron…Light, Life, Love’.

It was drawn at a time of terrible suffering, but the mother keeps her baby safe, a symbol of light, life and love.*

*Info from a signboard next to the chapel

This intimate chapel sits beside the nave, close to its immense tapestry and the high altar, both of which are so often, by design, bathed in natural light. In contrast, the Chapel of Gethsemane is small with relatively little lighting. Its mosaic depicts the Angel of Agony by Steven Sykes which, on approach, is viewed through a wrought-iron crown of thorns, designed by Sir Basil Spence. Thus, beside the large, blazing glory of the tapestry and high altar, this quiet, small chapel serves as a reminder of suffering and a place of prayer and contemplation, away from the focal point of the Cathedral.