21. PRODIGAL CHAPEL
The first chapel on the North side is the Prodigal Chapel (my name). It features the painting ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’ by Rembrandt. It is among the Dutch master’s final works, likely completed within two years of his death in 1669, and depicts the moment of the prodigal son’s return to his father in the Biblical parable. Sometimes the Parable of the Prodigal Son is called the Parable of the Loving Father.
22. PAPAL CHAPEL
The second chapel features a statue of Pope John Paul II who visited Cardiff in 1982. The desk before the statue is a Book of Remembrance with the papal Coat of Arms on the front.
23. MARTYRS’ CHAPEL
The third chapel commemorates the deaths of two martyrs, Fathers John Lloyd born in Brecon and Philip Evans S.J. born in Monmouth, known as the Cardiff Martyrs. They were hung, drawn and quartered on 22nd July 1679. It is believed the place of execution was in the district of Cardiff.
24. CHAPEL ALTAR
The chapel altar has a statue of a martyr on either side. The altar was erected in memory of the Rev Stephen Bruno who served in Cardiff for 28 years.
25. THE NEXT ‘CHAPEL’
The next chapel contains a lectern and another baptismal font. It appears to be a general purpose ‘small’ area – necessary for large cathedrals.
26. LECTERN AND FONT
Many Catholic churches do not have the traditional brass eagle lectern – and in fact, this one appears to have no place for a Bible! This second baptismal font was relocated to the Cathedral after the closure of St Cuthbert‘s church – a church a little south of the city centre. It is dedicated to John David Fitzpatrick who was born in 1962 and died as a victim of a road traffic accident in 1983.
27. NORTH NAVE EAST
This view looks back on where we have been. Now we turn to the South nave ... .
28. SOUTH NAVE
We note there are four stained glass windows here, including the high left window above the chancel. Prominent too are the further Stations of the Cross and the six Bishops’ shields. As for the chapels, the left chapel is posing as a transept, and the next one is used for storing seats. Then there are four chapels of interest, and finally a confessional.
29. SOUTH NAVE WINDOWS
The outer two windows are easy to describe. The high window at left shows an angel playing a lyre and the patron saint of music, St Cecilia, playing an organ. The window at right depicts the Nativity with the visiting shepherds. The two inner windows require some interpretation ... !
30. BISHOPS’ SHIELDS I
There are seven Bishops’ shields in the Cathedral, including one at the West end of the North wall. Chronologically from left these four, with translated mottoes, are: James Romanus Bilsborrow 1916–1920 [(Will never perish]; Francis Edward Joseph Mostyn 1921–1939 [Faith hope and charity]; Michael Joseph Mcgrath 1940–1961 [By faith the dead shall live]; John Aloysius Murphy 1961–1983 [Help me to guide].
31. BISHOPS’ SHIELDS II
The three remaining shields are: John Aloysius Ward 1983–2001 [Stronghold of faith]; Peter David Smith 2001–2010 [You are the Guardian of my Mother (?)]; George Stack 2011– [In sincere love].
32. SACRED HEART CHAPEL
We look now at the South wall chapels, from the left. The first is the Sacred Heart Chapel. This has a simple wall altar, with Jesus as the Sacred Heart. It is common for Roman Catholics to use this imagery, emphasising the love of God.
33. CHAPEL ALTAR
The devotion of the Sacred Heart is especially concerned with what the Church deems to be the long-suffering love and compassion of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The popularization of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a Roman Catholic nun from France, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a series of apparitions to her between 1673 and 1675.
34. LADY CHAPEL
The next chapel is the Lady Chapel. According to the tablet, the featured statue of Our Lady of Penrhys was commissioned and blessed by the Archbishop of Cardiff, the Most Reverend John Aloysius Ward, in the year 1992. The statue was made by Mother Concordia, Abbess of Minster Abbey, Kent.
35. LADY CHAPEL ALTAR
The carved reredos depicts four scenes from the life of Christ. The two outer figures are Joepsh and the Virgin Mary, each nursing the Child Jesus. The two inner scenes are of the flight into Egypt, and the Boy Jesus in his father’s carpentry shop.
36. END CHAPELS
The two remaining chapels on this side each have a single focus. The wooden statue at left is unidentified, but may represent Noah with a dove on his shoulder. In this case, he is holding an olive leaf. At right is a copy of Michelangelo’s Pietà : Mary holding the body of her Son after it is taken down from the Cross.
37. NAVE ROOF
As we prepare to turn our attention to the chancel and sanctuary, we look up to admire the wooden hammerbeam roof of the nave. A hammerbeam roof is a decorative, open timber roof truss typical of English Gothic architecture and has been called ‘... the most spectacular endeavour of the English Medieval carpenter’. The connecting rafters are usually absent with this style.
38. CHANCEL AND SANCTUARY
With the nave walls continuing through unbroken, it is only the raised marble platform which distinguishes the chancel. We notice that the central altar stands on a Jerusalem cross. We shall first investigate the items nearest to the nave: the painting at left, the ambo and Paschal candle, and the Virgin Mary at right.
39. THE DIVINE MERCY
‘The Divine Mercy’ is a devotion to Jesus Christ associated with the apparitions of Jesus to Faustina Kowalska. The venerated image under this Christological title refers to what Kowalska’s diary describes as ‘God’s loving mercy’ towards all people, especially sinners. This painting is often found in Roman Catholic churches.
40. AMBO AND PASCHAL CANDLE
The ambo is a pulpit / lectern from which scripture is read and the gospel proclaimed. Right nearby is the Paschal candle – an image of Christ as the Light of the world, and with special significance around the Easter season.
