Coventry Cathedral
Built 1956-62
Designed by Sir Basil Spence
“A burst of glory”
I first visited Coventry Cathedral with my parents as a teenager. It was a formative experience. I had never visited a building like this before. I was awed by its modernist grandeur, the sense of space and the beautifully designed details.
St Michael’s Cathedral was destroyed by one of the 200 bombs dropped on Coventry during the night of 14th November 1940. Only the tower, spire, outer wall and the tomb of the first bishop survived. The next morning the Provost, Richard Howard, chalked “Father Forgive” on the wall.
In 1951, Sir Basil Spence was appointed the architect, inspired by Howard’s gesture of reconciliation. Out of a competition of 200 architects, he was the only one who insisted that the new Cathedral should be built next to the bombed site and that the remnants of the old one become a garden of remembrance.
The Cathedral is populated with work by key artists of the day. Sir Jacob Epstein’s sculpture of Archangel Michael overcoming the Devil dominates the outside. John Piper’s Baptistry Window greets you with (in Piper’s own words) “a burst of glory” and Graham Sutherland’s tapestry behind the altar is reputedly the largest in the world.
At the entrance is this wonderful message of welcome:
“We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, straight, gay, confused, well-heeled or down-at-heel. We especially welcome wailing babies and excited toddlers. We welcome you whether you can sing like Pavarotti or just growl quietly to yourself. You're welcome here if you're just browsing, just woken up or just got out of prison. We don't care if you're more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury or haven't been to church since Christmas 10 years ago. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet and to teenagers who are growing up too fast.
We welcome keep-fit moms, football dads, starving artists, tree huggers, latte sippers, vegetarians, junk food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you're having problems, are down in the dumps or don't like organized religion. We're not that keen on it either. We offer welcome to those who think the Earth is flat, work too hard, don't work, can't spell, or are here because Granny is visiting and wanted to come to the cathedral. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both or neither.
We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids or got lost on the Ring Road and wound up here by mistake. We welcome pilgrims, tourists, seekers, doubters and you.”
