Church Tour
Entrance
Thomas More Coat of Arms
The More coat of arms was placed above the entrance at the time of the addition of St. Thomas More as co-Patron of the church following his canonisation in 1935. More loved puns on his name, as evidenced by the Moor’s head and the moorhens.
Roundel Windows
These two stained glass windows were executed at the same time as the West Window. The one north of the door is of St. Thomas More and was a gift of the Moore family; the one south of the door is of St. Francis of Assisi, a gift of the then parish priest, Father Patrick Nolan.
West Window
The stained glass representation of the Risen Lord was a gift of Lady Hogan in 1991 in memory of her late husband, Sir Michael Hogan.
North Wall
St. Francis of Assisi
This painting, attributed to the school of Correggio, depicts St. Francis receiving the stigmata, an event that took place during a vision on Mount Alverna in 1224. Francis, the son of a wealthy merchant, was inspired by his love of the poor to renounce his inheritance, famously divesting himself even of his clothes in front of his father and the Bishop of Assisi. Founder of the Franciscan Order, he is also known for his inauguration of the Christmas crib at Grecchio, and his composition of the Canticle of the Sun. He was canonised in 1228 by Pope Gregory IX. His feast day is October 4th.
St. Thomas More altar
This altar was commissioned by the then parish priest, Father Philip Valentin, to commemorate St. Thomas More’s canonisation, with St. John Fisher, by Pope Pius XI in 1935, 400 years after their martyrdom. A reliquary containing a first class relic of St. Thomas, acquired from the Belgian convent entered by More’s step-daughter, Alice Alington, used to stand on this altar, but it was stolen in the 1960s. The feast day of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More is June 22nd. Pope John Paul II declared St. Thomas More the patron saint of statesmen and politicians on October 31st, 2000.
The Sacred Heart
This is another of the statues given in memory of Diana Mary Lewis. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is understood both as devotion to the physical heart pierced by the soldier’s lance (Jn 19:34) and to the heart, “pierced by our sins and for our salvation” (CCC 478), as symbol of Jesus’s self-giving love for all humanity. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is celebrated on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost.
St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Therese, a Carmelite nun, was beatified in 1923 and canonised in 1925. She was declared Patron of the Missions in1927, Patron of France in 1947 and a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997. Devotion to her spread, primarily through the publication of her spiritual autobiography, The Story of a Soul, and her “Little Way” to holiness, to which anyone could aspire. She promised to ‘spend her heaven doing good on earth’ and to ‘let fall a shower of rose petals from heaven’. Her feast day is October 1st.
St. Anthony of Padua
This statue is one of three given in memory of Diana Mary Lewis. It depicts St. Antony of Padua, a Franciscan friar and notable preacher. After a period as Provincial of the Order, Antony retired to Padua, to a life devoted to preaching. Revered since the 17th century as the finder of lost things, there is a legend associated with his preaching to the fishes. He is also known for his devotion to the poor. Canonised in1232 by Pope Gregory IX, he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946, and his feast day is June 13th.
The Pieta
One of the most familiar subjects in Christian art is the body of the crucified Christ laid in the arms of his mother, Mary, the most famous example of which is that by Michelangelo, in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Sanctuary
St Francis of Assisi
This portrait of St. Francis, by an unknown artist, depicts Francis holding a skull. St. Francis has often been portrayed contemplating a skull, which is believed to be a reference to the crucifixion, which took place a Golgotha, the place of the skull. The mark of the stigmata can also be seen on his left foot.
St. Paul
These two statues, believed to be French in origin (the statue of St. Peter is inscribed “Pierre”), were most likely a gift from the Mother church, St. Mary’s Cadogan Street, which was a French foundation.
The Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul is celebrated on June 29th and is a Holy Day of Obligation.
St. Peter
Prince of the Apostles and first Bishop of Rome, St. Peter first recognised Jesus as “the Christ, the son of the living God” (Mt.16:16). He is depicted holding the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, which the Lord promised to give him (Mt. 16:19). He was executed in the persecution of Nero, according to tradition by being crucified upside down, and buried on the Vatican Hill, under the present site of the Basilica dedicated to his memory.
Artist and subject unknown
This painting is believed to have been a gift to the church, but there is no record of the donor, and both the artist and the subject are unknown. Any information gratefully received.
St. Ildephonsus
St. Ildephonsus, Archbishop of Toledo from 657-667, had a vision of Our Lady presenting him with a chasuble, and this painting, by an unknown artist, depicts that scene. The painting is thought to be a gift of the de Zulueta family.
The Crucifixion
This mural, painted by the brother of Canon Keens (the “church builder”), originally covered the whole of the central portion of the East wall, but was reduced in size and enclosed in its “frame” during the time of Canon de Zulueta as Rector. As is traditional, it depicts Our Lady, St. Mary Magdalene and St. John, the beloved disciple, at the foot of the cross.
St. Augustine
Born in Thagaste, in Roman North Africa in 354, the story of St. Augustine’s life is that of a ceaseless search for truth. Initially turning his back on his mother’s Christianity, he led a turbulent personal life before being re-converted and baptised by St. Ambrose in 387. He was reluctantly ordained priest in 391 and bishop in 396. His extensive doctrinal writings, letters and sermons (totalling more than five million words) have had a profound influence on the great theologians of subsequent centuries. He died in 430 and his feast day is August 28th.
The Agony in the Garden
Painted by an unknown artist, this lunette depicts Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, with his disciples asleep nearby and the angels ministering to him (Lk 22:43).
St.Jerome
Born in the Roman territory of Dalmatia in about 340, St. Jerome studied in Rome and was baptised there. After a period as a hermit in Syria, during which he learnt Hebrew, he returned to Rome, served as secretary to Pope Damasus and began his work of translating the Scriptures from the original Hebrew and Greek into Latin. Following the death of Pope Damasus, he travelled to Bethlehem and returned to the study of Scripture. “Ignorance of Scripture,” he wrote, “is ignorance of Christ.” He died at Bethleham in 420 and his feast day is September 30th.
Pope St. Gregory the Great
Born in Rome, the son of a Senator, St. Gregory gave up a political career, having been Prefect of Rome, for the monastic life. He became abbot in 585, was appointed one of the seven deacons of Rome and papal legate to Constantinople. He succeeded to the papacy in 590. He promoted sacred music, giving his name to “Gregorian chant”, and sent monks from his old monastery, led by St. Augustine of Canterbury, to evangelise the Angles of Britain. He died in 604 and his feast is celebrated on September 3rd, the date of his election as pope.
St. Ambrose
Born in 339 or 340, the son of the Roman prefect of Gaul, Ambrose initially pursued a career in law. Appointed by the emperor to conduct the election of the Bishop of Milan, he was instead persuaded by popular acclaim to accept the appointment himself. Because he was only a catechumen at that time, he received baptism and ordination to the diaconate, presbyterate and episcopate all within the space of a week in 374. He baptised Augustine on Holy Saturday, 387, and died on Holy Saturday, 4th April 397. His feast day is December 7th, the anniversary of his ordination as a bishop.
The South Wall
Madonna and Child
This painting, a gift of Canon de Zulueta’s mother, the Countess of Torre Dias, is a copy believed to be from the school of Murillo. The original hangs in the Galeria Corsini in Rome.
St. Thomas More
This is a copy of the portrait by Holbein which hangs in the Frick Museum, New York.
St. Thomas More
This maquette, entered by Enzo Plazzotta in the competition to choose a sculptor for the statue that now stands on Chelsea Embankment, near Chelsea Old Church, was presented to the church by the artist.
The Good Shepherd
This painting is another Murillo copy. The original hangs in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
Our Lady and the Infant Jesus
This statue is believed to be Bavarian and to have been carved in the late 18th century.
St. Joseph and the Boy Jesus
This , the third of the statues given in memory of Diana Mary Lewis, portrays Our Lord as a young boy, in the protective care of his foster father. The Solemnity of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19th and the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st.
St. Teresa of Avila
Born at Avila in 1515, she entered the Carmelite order in 1535. During the course of a serious illness the following year, she developed the habit of mental prayer and underwent mystical experiences. She was responsible for reform of the Carmelite order, and her writings, particularly her distinctive contribution to mystical theology, led to her being named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970. She died in 1582 and her feast day is October 15th.
Calvary
This Calvary scene was presented to the church by local artist Mr. Purnell.
The Stations of the Cross
I
“Ecce Homo”(Behold the man!) Though in the Gospel of John (John 19.5) these words are found on the lips of Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, they can also be seen as referring back to the prophecy of a Messiah in the Old Testament (Zechariah 6.12). In either case there is a clear contradiction between the figure presented by Jesus, the captive in the hands of the pagan invader, and the expectation his contemporaries had of a messiah who would be a leader, combining both priestly and royal dignity, bringing liberty his people. Jesus, though presented to the crowd as a prisoner, is in fact the one who is free. Pilate, however, is the prisoner. He is a prisoner of his fears: fear of being unpopular, fear of losing control, fear of the Truth. What fears hold me back from being fully a follower of Christ? How can the crucified King set me free?
Pictures: Daniel Wiener
II
I accept – Though an onlooker sees the cross being forced on Jesus, it is in fact his choice. It wasn’t easy, but, the night before, in his agony as he had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had chosen to do his Father’s will. There, on the side of the Mount of Olives, he had looked across the sleeping city and seen its need of a Saviour. Now, the suffering, the pain he had feared, began. He could have run away, everyone would have understood. Even to his closest friends this self-offering seems madness. Do I accept what God asks of me? Do I run away like Peter, or stand firm, faithful and obedient to God’s will like Jesus?
III
He falls – In Jesus’s life there was no sin, now, as he goes to die, it is only the physical weight of the Cross that brings him down. Morally, he stands head and shoulders above the mob who crowd in on him, jeering and shoving. When I fall, does anyone need to push me? Or is it my own choice that weakens me, causing me to buckle when I should stand firm?
IV
‘“Mother” Was that the first word he said? When the incarnate Son of God first made lips and breath combine to create a sound, was it to his Mummy that he turned? Then as he had grown into a man, learning his father Joseph’s trade, had he playfully chiseled his name into a sawn off piece of plank? Now they had written “INRI” (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeaorum, Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews), not just in Latin, but in Greek and Hebrew too. It was Pilate’s little joke, his way of making fun, both of Jesus and of the Jewish authorities. Poor Pilate, he had missed the point entirely. This man, the one on the way to Calvary, is a king. Not just a king, but the King, King of Kings. His kingdom is not just Israel, but the universe. The length of his reign, eternity. Pilate, the emperor in Rome, all the petty politicking priests and pious people, all of them, would be gone and forgotten while the one who was their victim today would rule in glory as the Servant King.
V
(Mark 15.21) This man, this Jesus, whose name could be also abbreviated to “IHC”, was failing, well his human body was failing. He remained a man with a mission, but he needed a helping hand. Simon, a visitor from a North African town, Cyrene, was not too ceremoniously enrolled to help him. Whereas one Simon was missing, run away, this Simon was sharing the burden of the Cross. Christ’s cross became his cross. He’d live to find out more about the man he helps, to believe he was the Saviour, the Messiah. And in time, he’d tell his boys, Alexander and Rufus. Would it be one of those stories he told again and again, or was it something so special that only on very special occasions would he speak of the day he helped carry the Cross. Nobody gave Simon a medal or a knighthood for what he did, but anyway, that day he received far more than he gave. How often do we give the helping hand that is needed? Or is it our choice to clench our fists, to close our heart to the pain and need we see?
VI
There are some people who just can’t stop themselves. They see someone’s need and they have to do something about it. Veronica is one of these. The poor man, the crowd all uncaring. He has blood and sweat pouring down his face, he can hardly see where he is going. All she has is her veil, after all one doesn’t expect to do this sort of thing, she hasn’t come prepared. So off comes the veil, she steps out, and just dares the soldiers with a mother’s look. She gently wipes the poor man’s face, he’s so cut and bruised she doesn’t move it, just presses it lightly but firmly to his flesh. He moves way, she cries, she holds the cloth to her breast, wondering. Only when everyone has passed by, some of them muttering disapprovingly, does she look down. There is the face of that man. Now she is afraid someone will take it from her; so silently, secretly, she folds it up and walks away. This cloth she keeps where no one can find it, until she learns more about this man. She finds out who he is, and what he means to many people who have become her brothers and sisters.
VII
“XPISTOS” This, the Greek title “Christos” or “anointed one” we might more often translate as “Messiah” (coming from the Hebrew “Mashiach”). The Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting the coming of the Messiah foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament. They wanted, they felt they needed, a strong leader who would bring about the liberation of the Jewish people from those who had invaded their country militarily and culturally. While some wanted a soldier, others wanted a prophet or a priest, but Jesus did not seem to fit in with any of their ideas. Even worse, at this point he seems to be failing utterly, disappointing even those who had followed him. The palms they had waved to welcome him into Jerusalem as a king now lay trampled on the ground. Similarly the vision he had given them seemed shattered.
VIII
The prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah (40.1-11) is perhaps best known to us through Handel’s famous “Comfort ye, comfort my people”. But here on the way to Calvary, when Jesus stops to speak to the women of Jerusalem, his words are far from comforting: “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep rather for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23.28). Yes, here the shepherd seems to have be being taken from his sheep. Will they be left prey to the forces of darkness which seem dominant at this moment?
Pictures: Daniel Wiener
IX
“He falls”. Once again the mighty hand of imperial power, exercised by a frightened Governor, comes down on the crumpled carcass of man as near dead as maybe. Helped up, with Simon still there to assist him, somehow he staggers on up the hill. How clear the contrast is between the hand that beats him down, and the hand of this sacrificial victim. He had only sought to create, to build, to heal, to feed, to care. In him power found a new identity, the divine at the service of the downtrodden.
X
They had crowned him with thorns. Usually the first thing a vanquished king loses is his crown, but stripped of all else, this was left him. They saw it as an empty scornful gesture, but in fact it was becoming the sacred symbol of a new kingship. This was a ruler who could win by losing. The only uncertainty was as to who would win the robe they stripped form him, but only because he chose to lay it aside. His victory over death would bring life to many, but they could not have known that. His sacrifice would become the food of the new people, the new covenant.
XI
A public execution has a strange fascination, even those who considered themselves better than everyone else were part of the spectating crowd. What would he say, dying? A curse? A prophecy? A blessing? Just before his last prayer (Ps 21 [22]), he asks his friend to take care of his mother, and her to care for this young man. The hammer sought to fix him with nails to the cross, but he was in fact the freest person there. All the others were prisoners of their sin, he alone sinless, and able to take away their sins.
XII
“ICTHUS” The Greek word for fish was a symbolic code word. It meant “fish”, but the letters could be taken to have another, secret, meaning I – Jesus, C – Christos, TH – Theou ( of God), U – [h]Uios (Son), S – Soter (Saviour) Only a believer can look at the naked dead figure on the cross and say: “My God”, not as an exclamation, but as an acclamation. Here the murdered man gives the gift of life to those who have a heart to love him and those who, like him, carry the cross. To some the cross is a horror, to some a decoration, to others the key to life. Now the disciples are sent to share the secret, to free those in prisons of selfishness, fear, greed, lust, anger, and every sin that separates from God and neighbour.
XIII
A sword shall pierce in what she heard the old man say, but only now does she really understand. Oh, there had been those times when he had spoken of doing his father’s work, but not meant carpentry and the times she had had to wait to speak with him while he gave his attention to strangers. But this was different. To hold her dead son in her arms, all that precious life gone. He had been in danger from the moment she had said yes to that angel. Perhaps now, at last she would have him for herself, now she would bury him and mourn for him as only a mother can.
XIV
Look across his body, out of the tomb. There is the stone, with which the disciples will close the tomb. There, on the nearby hill, is the Cross, now empty. Here before us the dead body of Jesus Christ and the grieving disciples gazing, for what they think will be the last time, on the face of the man they love, for whom and in whom they hoped so much. Yet their mourning will give way to rejoicing. The one they bury in haste will rise in glory. What is more he will call them again. Then they will not weep to see his wounds, but marvel to sit once more at his side. The call to them to follow him becomes a command to share all that they have seen and heard with those who find in the empty cross the promise of eternal life.