Coventry Cathedral

Coventry Cathedral stands in the heart of Coventry, West Midlands. The first cathedral here was St Mary’s, built in 1102 and later destroyed in the 16th century. The second was the medieval St Michael’s, raised to cathedral status in 1918 and left as a roofless ruin after the 1940 Blitz. The present cathedral, consecrated in 1962, was designed by Basil Spence and built beside the ruins of its predecessor. The older cathedral’s ruins remain a powerful reminder of war’s destruction. The words “Father Forgive” were inscribed on the wall behind the altar after the bombing. The tower and spire survived and now form the tallest structure in Coventry. The new cathedral was chosen from over two hundred competition entries and built using Hollington sandstone to echo the old stone. Inside the new cathedral, visitors find a striking collection of modern art. Jacob Epstein’s bronze sculpture of St Michael defeating the Devil dominates the east wall. Graham Sutherland’s vast tapestry, Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph, covers the Lady Chapel’s east wall. John Piper’s Baptistry window fills the space with coloured light, while ten nave windows by Lawrence Lee, Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke lead the eye towards the altar.