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 Close up on the Lady Chapel mosaics

A book review by Sharon Jennings

Chapters of Gold:
The Life of Mary in Mosaics
By Rachel Billington
Photography by Gered Mankowitz
Burns & Oates 2003 £7.99


The presentation of Mary
in the Temple
This book gives us a unique opportunity to see at close range the beautiful sequence of mosaics in the Cathedral’s Lady Chapel, which depict scenes from the life of Our Lady. It begins with a short and very moving foreword by the Duchess of Kent, in which she likens the ‘peace, tranquillity and silence of Lourdes to the effect of our lovely Lady Chapel and its mosaics’. This is preceded in the book by a photograph of the mosaic which shows the appearance of Our Lady to St Bernadette – not one of the sequence considered, but actually positioned above it – and therefore one which it is difficult to see properly ‘in the flesh’. As someone who has spent a great deal of time, over the years, gazing up at the decorations of the Lady Chapel – never during the longueurs of a sermon, of course! – I was particularly overjoyed to be able to see this close up.

There are further introductions by HE the Cardinal and by the Archbishop of Canterbury; and then the main body of the text begins. We are given a photograph of each of the twenty-one scenes of the life of Mary, accompanied by extremely interesting and well-chosen quotations; and each one is then followed by a reflection by Rachel Billington.


Lady Rachel Billington and Gered Mankovitz (right) who worked together on Chapters of Gold, and Joseph Bonner, the Chairman of Oremus (left)

The photographs, in full colour, are clear and detailed. One will constantly wish to go back to them and look again. Rachel Billington’s commentaries contain some very interesting research upon the source of the non-Scriptural scenes. She also comments upon the psychological and social aspects of the events of Mary’s life, often drawing parallels with the experience of modern women – for instance the Flight into Egypt is likened to the plight of asylum seekers. Her remarks are most often about the event itself rather than about the representation of it; but she does make a few quite perceptive comments about the artist’s vision – about the youthful and vigorous appearance of St Joseph, for example. Apart from that one, most of these focused observations concern the later scenes; and these, in my view, are by far the most successful.


Work started in 1930 under Basil Carey-Elwes with two English mosaicists
The reflections are followed by a brief history of the Lady Chapel mosaics written by Patrick Rogers. It contains some fascinating background to the wide-ranging style of the mosaics.

After this, there are four reflections upon the life of Mary, from different traditions: Orthodox, Nonconformist, Moslem and Jewish. These vary in their focus. Archbishop Gregorios stays very much with the scenes depicted and provides for each one extracts from the Orthodox liturgy. These are extremely beautiful and uplifting.

In a much shorter contribution, Baroness Richardson of Calow, for the Methodists, recounts her visit to see the mosaics, and makes some personal observations upon a few of them.

Sheikh Dr M A Zaki Badawi, however, does not refer to the actual mosaics but gives us a very interesting insight into the Islamic view of Mary, with supporting quotations from the Qur’an. The veneration and respect accorded to Our Lady – and indeed, the unhesitating belief in the Virgin Birth – are most illluminating.

Characteristically, Rabbi Lionel Blue writes nothing about the mosaics nor about Mary, but only about his own Yiddishe Momme!

The book ends with a collection of Marian prayers, most of them familiar.

As you can tell, this is quite a pot pourri of a book which means of course that there is something here for everyone. It is a book which one would return to again and again - sometimes as an aid to devotion, sometimes to study the art work, at other times to reflect upon Mary’s place in the modern, multi-cultural world.

Our indissoluble link with Mary is what binds this book together. This is most beautifully summed up by the following quotation from the Orthodox liturgy for Christmas, included in Archbishop Gregorios’ meditation:
"What shall we offer you, Oh Christ, because you have appeared on earth as a man for our sakes? Each of the creatures made by you offers its thanks… The angels offer their hymn; the heavens the star; the shepherds their wonder; the Magi their gifts; the earth the cave; the desert the manger; but we – we offer
a Virgin Mother."


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The cover of Chapters of Gold: The Life of Mary in Mosaics



Mary appearing to Bernadette at Lourdes



Risen Jesus appears to his mother

 

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