Our Lady of Westminster
Encyclopedia
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
in Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
, London, under the thirteenth Station of the Cross by Eric Gill
Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
. The image is made of English alabaster
Nottingham Alabaster
Nottingham alabaster is a term used to refer to the English sculpture industry, mostly of relatively small religious carvings, which flourished from the fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century...
, is flat backed, 36 inches high and depicts the Virgin Mary enthroned with the Christ Child on her right knee. She is crowned and holds a sceptre (now broken) in her left hand, the Christ child looks up at her and holds a globe with one hand, whilst with the other he blesses it. This statue is one of the greatest treasures of the cathedral and may rightly be said to be the oldest item housed there, as the cathedral itself is a 19th century foundation.
History
Most experts in the field agree that this image was carved in the Nottingham area in about 1450 from alabaster mined at nearby ChellastonChellaston
Chellaston is a suburb of the City of Derby, which is in the East Midlands in England in the United Kingdom. It is on a natural hill, and has recently expanded due to several new housing estates....
, but the intervening 500 years until 1954 when she was found and bought in Paris by the dealer S.W. Wolsey, are largely a blank.
Throughout the period of their production Nottingham alabaster
Nottingham Alabaster
Nottingham alabaster is a term used to refer to the English sculpture industry, mostly of relatively small religious carvings, which flourished from the fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century...
images were hugely popular in Europe and were exported in large quantities, some ending up as far afield as Iceland, Croatia and Poland. But by the far the greatest market for these images was in France, where even today some churches retain in situ their English Alabaster altarpieces. Indeed the trade continued up to and beyond the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
with the English ambassador to France reporting in January 1550 that three English ships had arrived laden with religious images to be sold in Rouen, Paris and beyond, this a year after Edward VI's Act for the putting away of divers books and images (1549). So we may surmise that Our Lady of Westminster was exported to France some time between 1450 and 1550. It much larger than most English alabaster work; the commonest surviving alabasters are thin panels carved in high relief from series covering the Passion or Life of Christ
Life of Christ
The Life of Christ as a narrative cycle in Christian art comprises a number of different subjects, which were often grouped in series or cycles of works in a variety of media, narrating the life of Jesus on earth, as distinguished from the many other subjects in art showing the eternal life of...
which were framed and mounted as altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
s.
The discovery in 1863 of a headless but stylistically almost identical alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
image, buried in the churchyard of All Saints, Broughton-in Craven suggests that, as was apparently usually the case, the statue was a standard model repeated several times by the workshop, and probably produced for stock rather than upon receipt of a particular commission. Exports, as of the better documented contemporary export trade in icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s of the Cretan school
Cretan School
The term Cretan School describes an important school of icon painting, also known as Post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the Fall of Constantinople, becoming the central force in Greek painting during the...
were usually made in bulk for sale to dealers, who then found buyers locally.
We can then surmise that Our Lady of Westminster remained to receive due honour in her French shrine until the upheaval of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
when much ecclesiastical property was destroyed and dispersed. She then passed into private collections and is noted as having been in the collection of Baron de St Leger Daguerre, from whence she was put up for sale in 1954 at the Exhibition des Chefs d'oeuvre de la Curiosite du Monde. It was there that the dealer S.W Wolsey saw and purchased her, she then came to the attention of Cardinal Griffin and the Dean of York Minster. A minor bidding war ensued with the former winning the day and Our Lady of Westminster was enthroned in Westminster Cathedral on 8 December 1955, to the accompaniment of the choir singing Salve Regina
Salve Regina
The "Salve Regina", also known as the Hail Holy Queen, is a Marian hymn and one of four Marian antiphons sung at different seasons within the Christian liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. The Salve Regina is traditionally sung at Compline in the time from the Saturday before Trinity...
.
Furthermore, in 1963 whilst on a trip to Italy, the Westminster Choir school presented a copy of the statue of Our Lady of Westminster and booklet explaining the devotion to Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
.
Original appearance
Our Lady of Westminster still retains enough of her polychromy for us to ascertain her original appearance. Her throne was coloured an ochre red with the knops being picked out in gilt, her cloak was dark blue with the inner folds red. The ground beneath her feet was a characterictic dark green scattered with red and white daisies and her crown, sceptre, mantle fastenings and the Christ Child's hair were all gilded. These bright colours were characteristic of Nottingham AlabasterNottingham Alabaster
Nottingham alabaster is a term used to refer to the English sculpture industry, mostly of relatively small religious carvings, which flourished from the fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century...
since they for the most part, were designed to be housed in wooden altarpieces with painted shutters, and to be seen by candlelight in dimly lit churches. The fact that Our Lady is flat backed and almost bas relief in places makes it likely that she was intended for just such an altarpiece.
Westminster and the "Dowry of Mary"
However the story does not rest there, since it is of great significance that a pre-Reformation English Madonna should come to be venerated in Westminster CathedralWestminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
, a mere 15 minute walk from the former Benedictine abbey where the dowry tradition started. There is a tradition that the title "Dowry of Mary
Dowry of Mary
Dowry of Mary is a title used in Roman Catholic contexts to refer to England.-Early use:...
" goes back to Edward the Confessor, who founded Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
in 1055. Another theory is that the Dowry tradition can be traced back to Edward III (1327-77), but the first concrete evidence comes from the will of The Countess of Pembroke who in 1377 established a mortuary chapel so that daily Masses could be sung for her husband, next to the Chapel of St John in the abbey, and presented the Abbot of Westminster with an alabaster statue of Our Lady. Soon after this the cultus of Our Lady in Westminster received royal impetus in the form of Richard II.
It was in 1381 that England was ravaged by the Peasants' Revolt, when the introduction of the poll tax caused the southeastern counties to rise in open rebellion. Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart , often referred to in English as John Froissart, was one of the most important chroniclers of medieval France. For centuries, Froissart's Chronicles have been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of the 14th century Kingdom of England and France...
gives a vivid description of the manner in which the young King Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
prepared to meet the rebels, led by Wat Tyler
Wat Tyler
Walter "Wat" Tyler was a leader of the English Peasants' Revolt of 1381.-Early life:Knowledge of Tyler's early life is very limited, and derives mostly through the records of his enemies. Historians believe he was born in Essex, but are not sure why he crossed the Thames Estuary to Kent...
, at Smithfield
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
:
Richard II on the Saturday after Corpus Christi went to Westminster, where he heard Mass at the Abbey with all his Lords. He made his devotions at a statue of Our Lady in a little chapel that had witnessed many miracles and where much grace had been gained, so that the Kings of England have much faith in it.
Another chronicler, Strype, described the event thus:
On the coming of the rebels and Wat Tyler, the same King went to Westminster . . . confessed himself to an anchorite; then took himself to the chapel of Our Lady of Pew; there he said his devotions, and went to Smithfield to meet the rebels.
The outcome of the meeting was favourable with Wat Tyler throwing down his arms and taking up the King's colours. Naturally the King and Court regarded this as a miracle wrought by the Holy Virgin, and therefore set about encouraging her veneration at Westminster. After his success in quelling the rebels, and their acceptance of the standard of the realm, Richard returned to meet his mother at Westminster and to give thanks. Froissart records the young King's words as follows:
"Yes, Madam . . . rejoice and praise God, for today I have regained my kingdom
which I had lost."
And he placed the Kingdom under Our Lady's protection - in thanksgiving for having regained it.
"The contemplation of the great mystery of the Incarnation has brought all
Christian nations to venerate her from whom came the beginnings of redemption.
But we, as the humble servants of her inheritance, and liegemen of her especial
dower - as we are approved by common parlance ought to excel all others in the
favour of our praises and devotions to her."
So what does this have to do with the medieval image which we now know as Our Lady of Westminster?
At this point a gentleman called Mr Albert Joseph Freeman comes onto the scene. Mr Freeman fought in the First World War and was severely gassed in the trenches, as he lay dying in field hospital he promised to dedicate his life to Our Lady if he recovered. In 1955, after a visit to the Abbey during which he was much moved and distressed by the empty niche in the Pew Chapel, he commissioned Sister Concordia Stuart of Minster Abbey on the Isle of Thanet
Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Thanet lies at the most easterly point of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the nearly -wide River Wantsum, it is no longer an island ....
to carve a statue of Our Lady to replace the one lost at the Reformation. Like the original statue presented by the Countess, the new one had to be in English alabaster, which was hard to obtain in the required measurements (3 feet by 16 inches by 7 inches), as the model for the work was to be the statue of Our Lady of Westminster in Westminster Cathedral. This statue was enthroned in the Pew Chapel On 10 May 1971.
So just as the Countess's alabaster statue replaced an earlier image, so now Our Lady of Westminster becomes the vital link to the Dowry tradition, that started in Westminster and radiated throughout pre-Reformation England and was one of her chief boasts. And despite all evidence to the contrary that pledge, that donation of England to Our Lady still holds firm. Just as the Madonna holds the banner of St George in the Wilton Diptych so she still holds England close under her protection and gazes upon its people with especial love even if they do not return that gaze. Our Lady of Westminster has returned to be with us after 500 years of exile and provides us with a link to the faith and devotion of our ancestors, her quiet motherly countenance reminding us of her special care and enjoining us to excel in her praises and those of her son, as did our ancestors throughout the ages.
See also
- Our Lady of IpswichOur Lady of IpswichOur Lady of Ipswich was a popular English Marian shrine before the English Reformation. Only the shrine at Walsingham attracted more visitors.-Location:The shrine was just outside the walls of Ipswich, Suffolk, England...
- Our Lady of WalsinghamOur Lady of WalsinghamOur Lady of Walsingham is a title used for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The title derives from the belief that Mary appeared in a vision to Richeldis de Faverches, a devout Saxon noblewoman, in 1061 in the village of Walsingham in Norfolk, England...
- Our Lady of CardiganOur Lady of CardiganOur Lady of Cardigan , also known as Our Lady of the Taper, the national Catholic shrine of Wales, is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary located in a chapel in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales.-History:...
- Our Lady of DoncasterOur Lady of DoncasterOur Lady of Doncaster is a Marian shrine located in Doncaster, UK, whose original statue was destroyed during the Reformation.-The Carmelites & the Shrine:...
- Nottingham AlabasterNottingham AlabasterNottingham alabaster is a term used to refer to the English sculpture industry, mostly of relatively small religious carvings, which flourished from the fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century...
- Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales
- Wilton Diptych