St Joseph, the carpenter, was the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. He is depicted with his tools of trade in the triptych on the altar. The large mosaic of the Holy Family in the apse was designed by Christopher Hobbs and completed in 2003. The red cardinal’s hat hangs above the tomb of Cardinal Hinsley, fifth Archbishop of Westminster who died in 1943. PLAN
22. THROUGH TO THE NORTH TRANSEPT
The transepts in this Cathedral are well-defined, but unusual in that they are contained within the building’s rectangular outline. Their Western extent is marked by an arch on each side. We are about to walk through the Northern arch.
23. TWO MOSAICS
There is a niche in each side of the archway, each surmounted by a mosaic. The mosaic at left shows St Nicholas in his less common role as protector of seafarers. The mosaic at right shows St Christopher who is the patron saint of travellers by land and sea.
24. JOANNA AND NORTHEAST CHAPELS
Along the outer wall of the North transept are a set of exit doors, a mosaic of St Joanna, and the chapel of St Thomas of Canterbury. We know St. Joanna only through Luke’s Gospel. In Luke 8, we learn that she was the wife of a man named Chuza, who was a steward to Herod. In this brief account she, along with others, is described as providing for Jesus out of her personal resources as he traveled, preaching and healing in many villages and cities. The other time Joanna is referenced is in Luke 24, as one of the women who arrived at the open tomb.
25. CHAPEL OF ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY
This is a small chantry chapel containing the tomb of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, third Archbishop of Westminster (1892 – 1903) who founded the Cathedral. His cardinal’s hat hangs above.
26. CHAPEL ALTAR
At the East end of the chapel is a small altar and a mosaic of Thomas Becket, who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. The depiction of St Thomas recalls the style of English Romanesque art, contemporary with the martyr. The mosaics were installed in 2003–2004.
27. TOWARDS THE CHAPEL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
There are two further chapels on this side of the Cathedral. Straight before us is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. A small sign tells us that this chapel is reserved for those who wish to pray in silence. In to the left is the entrance to the Shrine of the Sacred Heart.
28. SHRINE OF THE SACRED HEART AND ST MICHAEL
This tiny chapel has a rich mosaic ceiling recalling the ancient monuments of Rome and Ravenna. The Byzantine feel of the Chapel extends even to the light fittings which are modelled on those in Haghia Sophia in Istanbul. On the front of the altar is a depiction of St Michael slaying a dragon – Satan and all enemies of Christ and his Church. And on the altar is a large statue of the Sacred Heart, a popular devotional image in Catholicism. The wounded heart of Christ speaks of his great love for us.
29. BLESSED SACRAMENT ALTAR
We leave the Shrine of the Sacred Heart and move across to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. Russian artist Boris Anrep designed the incredible mosaics of this chapel, portraying images from Old and New Testaments symbolising the Eucharist, sacrifice and the Trinity. The Chapel is full of detail, from the golden angels watching over the tabernacle to the golden pelican over the entrance gate.
30. LADY CHAPEL I
The Lady Chapel is on the South side of the sanctuary. In the ceiling mosaic above the altar, Jesus is represented as the Tree of Life. To the left stands Mary in front of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. To the right is St Peter in front of Westminster Cathedral. Below is a frieze depicting scenes from the life of Mary. The window recesses and those opposite bear portraits of early women martyrs: St Lucy, St Agatha, St Justina, St Cecelia and St Catherine.
31. LADY CHAPEL II
Below the elaborate vault, the Lady Chapel is still richly decorated, but in a calmer more reflective style. The focus here is on the image of Madonna and Child immediately above the altar.
32. MADONNA AND CHILD
The Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, and known as ‘Our Lady’, has a special place in the heart of Catholics. It was in this Chapel in 1903 that the first Mass was celebrated in Westminster Cathedral.
33. SOUTH TRANSEPT
We leave the richness of the Lady Chapel and walk back through the South Transept. Here there are confessionals. Close to the confessional nearest the Lady Chapel is a 1930 mosaic of Peter with the inscription ‘And he went out and wept bitterly’ (Luke 22:62). Closer to us is a bronze relief of St Benedict.
34. ST BENEDICT AND OUR LADY OF WESTMINSTER
The relief of St Benedict was designed by Brian Kneale RA in 1999. Benedict of Nursia (480 – 547) is a Christian saint, who is venerated in many churches. He is a patron saint of Europe. Shown at right is a statue of Our Lady of Westminster [Cathedral photo]. It is made of Nottingham alabastar – well known in the Middle Ages. Thus this statue provides a strong link with the Medieval Church.
35. PULPIT
Just beyond the South transept stands the wonderful Cathedral pulpit. This view also shows some of the chapels of the South nave, as well as the balcony which surrounds the nave.
36. PULPIT DETAIL
The original pulpit of 1903 was enlarged in 1934 to celebrate Cardinal Francis Bourne’s thirtieth anniversary as fourth Archbishop of Westminster. An image of Our Lady of Walsingham was added. The large size of the pulpit reflects the retinue that originally accompanied a cardinal archbishop into the pulpit.
37. ARCH MOSAICS
The arch which separates the South transept from the South nave aisle is like the arch we saw previously. Down each side is a niche with a mosaic at the top. Here we have mosaics of Saints Joachim and Anne. By tradition Joachim and Anne are considered to be the names of the parents of Mary, the Mother of God. We have no historical evidence, however, of any elements of their lives, including their names. Any stories about Mary’s father and mother come to us through legend and tradition.
38. VIEW ACROSS TO ST PAUL’S CHAPEL
The first chapel we come to along this side is St Paul’s Chapel. This view is interesting too in that it shows the mosaic of St Joachim, and beyond that a grey Chi-Rho memorial to the Royal Canadian Airforce made from hundreds of flat-headed nails. The Chi-Rho signifies the name of Christ – the first two letters in Greek.
40. ST DAVID MOSAIC
On the wall outside St Paul’s Chapel is this mosaic of St David. The mosaic is wonderfully bright and full of gold and silver that really bring the wall alive. In the centre is a depiction of St David, the patron saint of Wales, standing on the mound at Llandewi Brefi, defending the church’s teaching against the Pelagian heresy. In the mosaic of the mound is an actual piece of rock from Llandewy Brevie in Wales. The information sheet at right prepares us for our next chapel!