From destruction towards peace

The days that followed

After the Blitz, two symbols emerged from the rubble: two charred roof-beams which had fallen in the shape of a cross were bound and placed at the site of the ruined altar, and three medieval roof nails were also formed into a cross, which became the original Cross of Nails (now located at the High Altar in the new Cathedral).

During the BBC radio broadcast from the Cathedral ruins on Christmas Day 1940, six weeks after the Blitz, Provost Dick Howard declared that when the war was over we should work with those who had been enemies ‘to build a kinder, more Christ Child-like world.’

You can hear the original recording here.

Shortly after the Blitz, the words ‘Father Forgive’ – deliberately neutral in content – were inscribed on the wall of the ruined chancel. We now hold the Litany of Reconciliation at midday daily during the week which pays homage to this inscription, written in 1958 by Canon Joseph Poole. You can find out more about the Litany here.

Post-war peace building

The destruction of Coventry Cathedral touched the hearts of many countries around the world, who contributed and gifted elements of the building of the New Cathedral. The decision to leave the Ruins as they were after the Blitz became a powerful global symbol of peace building and forgiving enemies.

Standing in union with the New Cathedral, the two cathedral's stand as a powerful symbol of peace and peace building across nations, something which still runs deeply in the heart of Coventry Cathedral's mission. You can find out more about our mission and ministry here.