Contemporary Art in Cathedrals : Lincoln and Ely

On our recent trip to the UK to visit Henry’s wonderful familly, he wanted to visit two cathedrals, Lincoln and Ely. With a few logistical tricks and help from the family we made it to both! After we went I could see why he wanted to see them so much.

Here is Lincoln Cathedral, from the nearby castle, the interior and from the side. The Romaneque church was built by the Normans who apparently brought a lot of masons and other skilled workers with them. The city goes back to the Romans and has a few Roman structures .

It also has what I learned from a brochure was “The Secret Jewish Heritage of Lincoln.” It dates back to 1159, “second only to London in numbers, wealth, and scholarship,remaining prominent right up to the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290” . Jews are readmitted to England under Oliver Cromwell, but in Lincoln a community didn’t reappear until late 18thc which lasted to mid 19th. Then many Jews came during World War II, but a community wasn’t reestablished until 1992.

Looking at the beautiful cathedral, we see Romanesque carvings on the West front, which we were told is meant to be the gates of heaven, and impress us, it is a portal to the sacred.

Across the entrance are a row of kings starting with Edward III. I like the one in the middle with his bare legs crossed, apparently that is King John who got a new leg. The kings receive authority from God.

Here is a relief of devils seducing sinners and the original color scheme!.

Noah’s Ark

Much as I love Romanesque sculpture, my real theme here is inside the Cathedral the Stations of the Cross by a contemporary artist. I thought they were really moving.

This is no 1 The whole series of Stations of the Cross, here called “The Forest Stations” were created by William Fairbank

“Jesus a Man of Truth is Condemned to Death by the crowd, through their government.”

no 2 The truth is beaten and flogged and roped to the execution beam.

no 3

He falls under pressure from without

no 5 He is helped by his mother

You can see from these examples how moving each piece is.

Lincoln Cathedral also had a chapel painted by Bloomsbury artist Duncan Grant- theme is St Blaise, patron saint of wool gatherers

He included a lot of his friends! then the chapel was closed when the church discovered he was homosexual until 1990!

Ely Cathedral had a single piece of contemporary art at the entrance

But the story of Ely is feminist! Founded by St Etheldreda! She was a Saxon princess married off for political reasons, but her first husband died and left her the land that Ely is on. Then she was married again to a Northumbrian Prince, but refused to consummate the marriage. He let her go to be a nun!, until his father died then as King he wanted her to start breeding, but she ran away!! went back to Ely, founded a monastery that later became the site of this cathedral.