Sunday, 22nd September, 2019.
Paul and Judith had thoroughly researched our visit to Durham Cathedral. They had gone to the Cathedral the weekend before, worked out where to park, where to get the best view, what else to see etc. Knowing my interest in music, they had even attended sung Evensong to see if that would be suitable to include in our tour. I felt very honoured that they had gone to so much trouble.
View of Durham Cathedral (and trees) from the street. Durham
Cathedral was built to house the Shrine to St Cuthbert (634-87), one of the
most popular saints of Mediaeval England. The present cathedral was
begun in 1093, and is regarded as one of
the finest examples of Norman architecture in Europe. In 1986 the cathedral and Durham Castle were designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Paul and Judith walking across the River Wear for the "classic view" of the cathedral.
View of Durham from the bridge.
"Classic view" of the cathedral over the River Wear.
The cathedral contains the Shrine of The Venerable Bede, an Anglo-Saxon scholar and monk who died in 735. Known as “The Father of English History” he was the greatest scholar of his age and wrote on a very wide range of subjects. Bede popularized the use of the BC and AD dating systems.
Pieta (Paul's picture).
A Pieta (Latin pietas, meaning pity) is a sculpture, painting or drawing of the dead Christ supported by the Virgin Mary. This pieta, by Fenwick Lawson, who lives close to the Cathedral, is non-traditional in that Jesus lies at Mary's feet rather than being supported by her.
Lawson made this Pieta (pictured above) from beech wood and brass (some of it from his wife's sewing machine) between 1974 and 1981. The addition of the unpolished brass represents light and life. Even in the midst of death, God's light is not extinguished.
Lawson aims to embody both death and resurrection. Death is shown through the brutalised crucified body, while resurrection and life are expressed through the lifting arm and the dynamic of the hand, stretched out to the mother.
The splitting of the wood in the mother's face expresses the trauma of bereavement. She is both Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the universal mother who has contained and given life, now expressing understanding and compassion at the death of her child.
The Pieta was displayed in this Cathedral in 1984 and was then placed in York Minster where it survived the fire of 1984. The Christ figure was under burning timber but the mother was saved by a wrought iron screen. They were both splattered with molten lead falling from the roof, which the sculptor sees as enhancing the meaning of this sculpture in a way that he could not have done himself.
(From: Christianity inside Durham Cathedral, Sunniside Local Historical Society.)
The Shrine of St Cuthbert (Paul's picture) lies behind the main altar. In September 1104 St Cuthbert's remains were moved into the newly-built Norman Cathedral. The new shrine was made of marble studded with jewels and semi-precious stones. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of pilgrimage, which continues today. Large numbers of people flocked to the shrine to seek the saint’s blessing and healing powers.
The elaborate shrine no longer exists as it was destroyed in the Reformation. It was replaced in 1542 by the simple marble slab marked ‘Cuthbertus’. The stones around the slab are part of the original construction.
Walking out, we were treated to another view of the cathedral.
St Cuthbert's Cross, which is used symbolically around Durham.
3D floral St Cuthbert's Cross.
As you can see, it is made primarily with succulents.
Paul and Judith had thoroughly researched our visit to Durham Cathedral. They had gone to the Cathedral the weekend before, worked out where to park, where to get the best view, what else to see etc. Knowing my interest in music, they had even attended sung Evensong to see if that would be suitable to include in our tour. I felt very honoured that they had gone to so much trouble.
Approaching the cathedral. It's so big it's hard to fit it all in.
Durham’s architectural value lies in the fact
that it is the oldest surviving building with a stone vaulted ceiling of such a
large scale.
We attended sung Evensong in the Cathedral. This took a bit longer than usual, as it included the installation of a new canon and pastor. The presider was none less than the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, the fourth-ranked bishop in the Church of
England hierarchy, who also preached the sermon. He did a good job of relating the first "Lesson" (such an Anglican word), Isaiah 45:9-22, to the need for caring for the earth for future generations.
Rose window (Paul's picture.).
A Pieta (Latin pietas, meaning pity) is a sculpture, painting or drawing of the dead Christ supported by the Virgin Mary. This pieta, by Fenwick Lawson, who lives close to the Cathedral, is non-traditional in that Jesus lies at Mary's feet rather than being supported by her.
Lawson made this Pieta (pictured above) from beech wood and brass (some of it from his wife's sewing machine) between 1974 and 1981. The addition of the unpolished brass represents light and life. Even in the midst of death, God's light is not extinguished.
Lawson aims to embody both death and resurrection. Death is shown through the brutalised crucified body, while resurrection and life are expressed through the lifting arm and the dynamic of the hand, stretched out to the mother.
The splitting of the wood in the mother's face expresses the trauma of bereavement. She is both Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the universal mother who has contained and given life, now expressing understanding and compassion at the death of her child.
The Pieta was displayed in this Cathedral in 1984 and was then placed in York Minster where it survived the fire of 1984. The Christ figure was under burning timber but the mother was saved by a wrought iron screen. They were both splattered with molten lead falling from the roof, which the sculptor sees as enhancing the meaning of this sculpture in a way that he could not have done himself.
(From: Christianity inside Durham Cathedral, Sunniside Local Historical Society.)
The Shrine of St Cuthbert (Paul's picture) lies behind the main altar. In September 1104 St Cuthbert's remains were moved into the newly-built Norman Cathedral. The new shrine was made of marble studded with jewels and semi-precious stones. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of pilgrimage, which continues today. Large numbers of people flocked to the shrine to seek the saint’s blessing and healing powers.
The elaborate shrine no longer exists as it was destroyed in the Reformation. It was replaced in 1542 by the simple marble slab marked ‘Cuthbertus’. The stones around the slab are part of the original construction.
Walking out, we were treated to another view of the cathedral.
St Cuthbert's Cross, which is used symbolically around Durham.
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