HOME       ART & ARCHITECTURE       CATHEDRAL LIFE       MUSIC       EVENTS       SHOP     TEXT ONLY   LISTEN TO MUSIC
  VISITOR INFORMATION       CHILDREN'S AREA       HOW YOU CAN HELP      SITE GUIDE  

Art & Architecture > Cathedral Tour >



Stations of the Cross


Jesus is condemned to death.
In the nave are the fourteen Stations of the cross carved in low relief in Hopton-Wood stone by Eric Gill (1882-1940). Each tableau includes exquisite lines of titling by this master of letter forms. The Sations, also called the Way of the Cross, are a memorial of the Passion – the suffering and death of Christ. In each one, some incident, historical or traditional, is depicted for the person at prayer to meditate on the sufferings of Christ, from his condemnation by Pilate to his burial in the tomb.


Jesus receives his cross.
In every Catholic church there are erected "Stations of the Cross", a via dolorosa, or a via crucis. The word "station" simply means a stopping place, a time for prayer, a moment of thanksgiving for all that Jesus achieved for sinful humanity through his passion, death and resurrection.

The stations at Westminster Cathedral are particularly striking. Carved by Eric Gill (1882-1940) they caused a great controversy when erected in 1918.

They were variously described as "pseudo primitive" or "Babylonian" and even "strangely crude". They have now become an essential part of the life and architecture of the Cathedral. They are among its most valued possessions.


The body of Jesus is taken from the cross and laid in Mary's bosom.
Each station is carved in low relief so that it receives light from the side. The carving does not imitate the style of a bygone age. Eric Gill confined himself to a diagrammatic presentation of the passion of Jesus. There is no attempt to express emotion from the figures.

Gill himself modelled for the face of Christ in the tenth station. In all but two stations, the figure of Jesus faces the nave of the Cathedral. In this he looks symbolically towards the High Altar where daily the sacrifice of Calvary is re-enacted during Holy Mass.


The deposition.
The Roman soldiers are shown not as cruel or callous, but as men under obedience, carrying out their orders. Their faces are impassive, almost bored. They act as "passive agents not as partisans".

There are no crowds portrayed in the stations. We who gaze on these masterpieces are the observers in this greatest drama of human history. Whether we are active participants in the mystery they depict or passive observers is the whole purpose of the prayer of faith involved in making the Stations of the Cross.


< Previous section


 

 

© Westminster Cathedral 2002   |   Credits  |   Glossary   |   Privacy and Legal

Westminster Cathedral   42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW   United Kingdom
Email us Tel: 020 7798 9055   Fax: 020 7798 9090   Registered Charity Number 233699