Art in the Cathedral

Despite having their origins and buildings rooted hundreds of years ago, I have generally found our cathedrals to be keen to include modern artworks. Ripon was no exception and I enjoyed finding this selection. The 'madonna of the cross' sculpture above is by Malcolm Brocklesby, similar to one at Mount Grace Priory. 

The metalwork screen references the Holy Spirit. 

There is a recently developed side chapel to commemorate our armed forces, with quotes from Wilfred Owen: 

'The subject is war. I mean the truth untold. The pity war distilled. The poetry is in the pity.'

Here is another of the three copper sculptures by Harold Gosney, this time the Piéta.

The organ is late Victorian, I think, and the casework designed by George Gilbert Scott (who designed St Pancras Station's famous frontage in London).  Note the angels decorating it. Angels are a recurring motif around the cathedral - and not just the paper ones I featured yesterday. 

There are many stained glass windows. I particularly liked the modern ones:

And finally, treasures that are not so modern - misericords, beautifully carved between 1489 and 1494. Sometimes called 'mercy seats', they are in the choir stalls and are ledges under the actual seats, designed, when the seats are upright, to support people standing for long periods. There are 36, each unique and with a huge variety of subject matter. One of them is of a griffon chasing a rabbit and is said to be the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. They were roped off when I visited, so I could only photograph those that were visible from the chancel floor.