The St Giles' Tour |
|
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel
South of the chancel, and separated from it by iron openwork gates and screens, is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, yet another revival. In almost all contemporary catholic churches, the Blessed Sacrament was reserved in a Tabernacle on the high altar. The walls are richly stencilled against a red background with crosses, crowns and fruiting vines, and the roof is vaulted. All of the decoration here, in glass, painting and tiles is Eucharistic. The alabaster altar, by Roddis, has figures of the six-winged seraphim, who appear in Isaiah's vision (Isaiah 6.1-7) and in the Apocalypse (4.8) as celestial beings who wait upon God, offering worship and praise. Here they are guardians of the sacred presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Their ceaseless song of adoration, sanctus, sanctus, sanctus runs across the front of the altar and recurs in the wall-stenciling. The reredos is made up of two panels of richly-coloured Minton tiles with the Chalice and Host as the dominant motif, and between them, behind the Tabernacle, a stencilled panel of fruiting vines, hanging in front of the altar is a silver lamp. The stained glass in this chapel is all related to the Blessed Sacrament. The east window is of three lights. In the centre is the figure of the Risen Christ over the inscription 'Amen amen, dico vobis ego sum panis vivus qui de caelo descendi' (Truly, Truly, I tell you , I am the bread of which came down from heaven). In the side-lights are the seraphim holding further texts from Jesus' discourse on the Bread of Life (John 6.54-57). The two single-light windows in the south wall are plain white quarries with red quatrefoils, containing the Agnus Dei. Return to the St Giles' Tour
|
Return to the St Giles' Tour
|
St Giles is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham - Charity No. 234216
|
Website by Gabriel Media Limited
|