Lyneth Hinds and Ria
A Personal View of Southwark Cathedral
A visit to a cathedral and my immediate thoughts were that it would smell strongly of incense, be dark, gloomy and I was even half expecting it to smell of decay or preserved ruin of the past.
On entering Southwark I was struck by how light and airy it was, not gloomy at all; forced to look up there were loads of light flooding in through the stain glass window, it is said that the purest and truest of light is divine light, this I think is what Southwark and others try to capture.
The stain glass depicts hundreds of scenes of martyrdom of saints.
The rich colours give a vision of space and celestial light garnished with precious stones. The ceilings are high and reach up to the heavens, they are ribbed and richly carved.
The space conveys to me mystery, creation and a place where angels play. The vision is not completed by the eye but in the mind.
In terms of statues the interior is surprisingly bare, there are wooden beams, enclosed arches and a bishop's chair; there are also tapestries that drape each altar.
There are two memorable statues however: Satan swallowing Judas - in he goes with the darkest of pain to hasten his end, confess to escape.
The other, Madonna and Child carved so the child can be separated from it's mother: a healthy thing to do, look how strong and independent he became. 
Photograph by Ria
Page(s) 17
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