Today, Sat 27th April Open 10:00am–4:00pm
Coventry Cathedral is open as normal today
General visiting times for the New Cathedral & Ruins Mon-Sat 10:00am–4:00pm
Sun 12:00pm–3:30pm
These opening times apply to the New Cathedral & Ruins. Other Cathedral locations' times differ.

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Christ in Glory, by Graham Sutherland

A dignified and majestic focal point for a very modern cathedral.

Located in the Lady Chapel 'Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph' dominates the view along the cathedral nave. Designed by artist Graham Sutherland, the tapestry depicts the risen Christ in the glory of God in Heaven. The design and creation of the Tapestry was an immense challenge and preoccupied Sutherland for nearly a decade.

The Tapestry measures 23 metres tall by 12 metres wide and weighs about a ton. Remarkably it was woven in one continuous piece by hand on a 500 year old loom made from two tree trunks. There are over 900 colours in the design, which was woven from behind in a workshop near Aubusson in France. The Tapestry is made from Australian and French wool which was hand-dyed using water from the local river. The design depicts Christ seated in an almond-shaped aura of light known as a mandorla - often used in medieval art to show Christ as a divine being. The figure of Christ is surrounded by beasts representing the four evangelists - the lion of Mark, the eagle of John, the calf of Luke, and a winged man for Matthew - as well as an image of St. Michael, to whom the Cathedral is dedicated.

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