View source for Coventry Cathedral

{{short description|Cathedral in West Midlands, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox church
| name             = Coventry Cathedral
| fullname         = Cathedral Church of Saint Michael
| image            = Coventry Cathedral 2018.jpg
| caption          = Old (left) and new (right) cathedral buildings
| pushpin map      = United Kingdom West Midlands
| pushpin label position = left
| pushpin map alt  = 
| pushpin mapsize  = 220
| map caption      = Shown within West Midlands
| coordinates      = {{coord|52.408333|-1.506944|region:GB|format=dms|display=title}}
| osgraw           = <!-- TEXT -->
| osgridref        = <!-- {{gbmappingsmall|TEXT}} -->
| location         = [[Coventry]] city centre, West Midlands
| country          = [[England]]
| denomination     = [[Church of England]]
| website          = {{URL|http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk}}
| consecrated date = 25 May 1962
| dedication       = [[Michael (archangel)|St Michael]]
| previous cathedrals = 2
| architect        = [[Basil Spence]]
| style            = Regional modern
| years built      = 1956–1962
| diocese          = [[Diocese of Coventry|Coventry]]
| diocese start    = 1918
| province         = [[Province of Canterbury|Canterbury]]
| archbishop       = 
| bishop           = [[Sophie Jelley]]
| dean             = [[John Witcombe]]
| provost          = 
| canon            = Nitano Muller (Worship and Welcome)
| precentor        = 
| archdeacon       = 
| reader           = 
| director         = 
| organist         = 
}}

The '''Cathedral Church of Saint Michael''', commonly known as '''Coventry Cathedral''', is the seat of the [[Bishop of Coventry]] and the [[Diocese of Coventry]] within the [[Church of England]]. The cathedral is located in [[Coventry]], [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], England.

The city has had three [[cathedral]]s. The first was [[St Mary's Priory and Cathedral|St Mary's]], a [[monastery|monastic]] building, from 1102 to 1539, of which only a few [[ruins]] remain. The second was St Michael's, a 14th-century [[Gothic art|Gothic]] church designated as a cathedral in 1918, which remains a ruined shell after its [[Coventry Blitz|bombing]] during the [[Second World War]], apart from its tower and spire, which rise to {{convert|284|ft|m|abbr=off}}. The third, consecrated in 1962, is the new St Michael's Cathedral, built immediately adjacent to the ruins and tower of the former cathedral – together forming both a symbol of war-time destruction and barbarity, and also of peace and reconciliation.

==St Mary's Priory==
<!-- Coventry Priory redirects here -->
{{main|St Mary's Priory and Cathedral}}
Coventry had a medieval cathedral that survived until the [[Reformation]]. This was [[St Mary's Priory and Cathedral]], 1095 to 1102, when [[Robert de Limesey]] moved the bishop's see from [[Lichfield]] to Coventry,<ref>Nicolas, Nicholas Harris (1825). ''A synopsis of the peerage of England: exhibiting, under alphabetical arrangement, the date of creation, descent and present state of every title of peerage which has existed in this country since the conquest...'' J. Nichols and son. p. 862.</ref> until 1539 when it fell victim to [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]'s [[dissolution of the monasteries]]. Prior to 1095, it had been a small Benedictine monastery (endowed by [[Leofric, Earl of Mercia]] and his wife [[Lady Godiva|Godiva]] in 1043).<ref>Page, William (1908). [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=36487 The City of Coventry: Churches: Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705221559/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=36487|date=5 July 2010 }}. ''A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 8: The City of Coventry and Borough of Warwick.''</ref> Shortly after 1095 rebuilding began and by the middle of the 13th century it was a cathedral of {{convert|142|yd}} in length and included many large outbuildings.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vail|first=Anne|year=2004|title=Shrines of Our Lady in England|publisher=Gracewing Publishing|page=56|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hjyc9bPITKgC&q=coventry|isbn=978-0852446034}}</ref> Leofric was probably buried within the original [[Saxons|Saxon]] church in Coventry. However, records suggest that Godiva was buried at [[Evesham Abbey]], alongside her father [[confessor]], Prior Æfic.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGrory|first=David|date=1 October 2003|title=A history of Coventry|publisher=Phillimore|page=17|isbn=978-1860772641|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phoXAQAAIAAJ&q=aefic|url-access=subscription }}</ref> It was the only medieval cathedral to be demolished at the Reformation.<ref>The English Cathedral by Peter Marlow (p 108) {{ISBN|978-1-8589-4590-3}}</ref>

==St Michael's Cathedral==
===First structure===
<!-- THE CATHEDRAL DESTROYED DURING THE REFORMATION WAS ST MARY'S LISTED ABOVE. IT WAS **NEVER** A STRUCTURE OF ST MICHAELS (WHICH WAS A PARISH CHURCH AND REMAINED SO UNTIL THE LAST TWO DECADES BEFORE IT WAS BOMBED) AND THE TWO BUILDINGS CO-EXISTED SIDE BY SIDE FOR MANY YEARS. -->
[[File:William Crotch - St. Michael&#039;s, Coventry - NORF NWHCM L1976.9.55.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The old cathedral, painted in 1802 by [[William Crotch]]]]
[[File:Coventry-cathedral-interior.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The interior of the old cathedral, {{circa|1880}}]]
[[File:Coventry Cathedral Ruins with Rainbow edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The roofless ruins of the old cathedral]]

St Michael's Church was largely constructed between the late 14th century and early 15th century from [[red sandstone]]. It was one of the largest parish churches in England when, in 1918, it was elevated to cathedral status on the creation of the [[Diocese of Coventry]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Pepin|first=David|year=2004|title=Discovering Cathedrals|publisher=Bloomsbury USA|page=58|isbn=9780747805977|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LWHy1T_hTfEC&q=canterbury|url-access=subscription }}</ref> This St Michael's Cathedral now stands ruined, bombed almost to destruction during the [[Coventry Blitz]] of 14 November 1940 by the German [[Luftwaffe]]. Only the tower, spire, the outer wall and the bronze effigy and tomb of its first bishop, [[Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs]], survived. The ruins of this older cathedral remain [[Consecration|hallowed ground]] and are [[listed building|listed]] at Grade&nbsp;I.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1076651|desc=Ruined Cathedral Church of St Michael, Coventry|access-date=14 December 2012 }}</ref> Following the bombing of the cathedral in 1940, Provost [[Richard Howard (priest)|Richard Howard]] had the words "Father Forgive" inscribed on the wall behind the altar of the ruined building. The [[spire]] rises to 284 feet (87 metres)<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last=Flannery|first=Julian|title=Fifty English Steeples: The Finest Medieval Parish Church Towers and Spires in England|date=2016|place=London|publisher=Thames and Hudson|pages=262–273|isbn=978-0-500-34314-2|oclc=965636725 }}</ref> to the base of the weathervane, and is the tallest structure in the city. It is also the third tallest cathedral spire in England, with only [[Salisbury Cathedral|Salisbury]] and [[Norwich Cathedral|Norwich]] cathedrals rising higher. When the height of the weathervane is included, it is 290 feet (88 metres) high.<ref name=":0" />

===Present structure===
The current St Michael's Cathedral, built next to the remains of the old one, was designed by [[Basil Spence]] and [[Arup Group Limited|Arup]], was built by [[John Laing plc|John Laing]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Sir Basil Spence|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/gallery/2007/sep/24/urbandesign|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=24 September 2007|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831172448/https://www.theguardian.com/society/gallery/2007/sep/24/urbandesign|archive-date=31 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and is a Grade&nbsp;I [[listed building]].<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1342941|desc=Cathedral of St Michael, Coventry|access-date=14 December 2012|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

The selection of Spence for the work was a result of a competition held in 1950 to find an architect for the new Coventry Cathedral; his design was chosen from over two hundred submitted.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://heni.com/talks/a-casket-of-jewels|author=Dr. James Fox|title=A Casket of Jewels: The Art and Architecture of Coventry Cathedral|work=HENI Talks}}</ref>  Spence (later knighted for this work) insisted that instead of rebuilding the old cathedral, it should be kept in ruins as a garden of remembrance and that the new cathedral should be built alongside, the two buildings together effectively forming one church.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mansell|first=George|year=1979|title=Anatomy of architecture|publisher=A & W Publishers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cf5PAAAAMAAJ&q=coventry|page=178|isbn=978-0894790430|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The use of [[Hollington, Staffordshire|Hollington]] sandstone for the new Coventry Cathedral provides an element of unity between the buildings.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle/nostalgia/craftsmens-skill-forever-cast-cathedrals-3098231|date=May 27, 2008|title=Craftsmen's skill forever cast in cathedral's stone|work=Coventry Telegraph}}</ref>

The [[cornerstone|foundation stone]] of the new cathedral was laid by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] on 23 March 1956.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=John|year=1987|title=Coventry Cathedral|publisher=Unwin Hyman|page=129|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuJzAAAAIAAJ&q=foundation+stone|isbn= 978-0044400110|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The unconventional {{clarify|date=October 2025}} [[spire]] or [[flèche (architecture)|flèche]] is {{convert|80|ft|m}} tall and was lowered onto the flat roof by a helicopter, flown by Wing Commander [[John Dowling (pilot)|John Dowling]] in April 1962.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wing Commander John Dowling|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1350613/Wing-Commander-John-Dowling.html|access-date=31 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=28 July 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402221532/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1350613/Wing-Commander-John-Dowling.html|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The cathedral was consecrated on 25 May 1962 by [[Cuthbert Bardsley]], Bishop of Coventry with [[Benjamin Britten]]'s ''[[War Requiem]]'', composed for the occasion, premiered in the new cathedral on 30 May to mark its consecration.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/pedeirkaineymab00unkngoog|quote=coventry.|last=Havighurst|first=Alfred F.|date=15 September 1985|isbn=978-0226319704|title=Britain in Transition: The Twentieth Century|publisher=University of Chicago Press|page=643|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Roncace|first1=Mark|last2=Gray|first2=Patrick|date=5 November 2007|title=Teaching the Bible Through Popular Culture and the Arts|publisher=Society of Biblical Lit.|page=60|isbn=9781589836754|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fRYTAwAAQBAJ&q=coventry&pg=PR4}}</ref>

[[File:Coventry Cathedral -from above-8.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|The new cathedral as seen from the tower of the old cathedral. The chapter-house is centre-left.]]
[[File:Coventry Cathedral Interior, West Midlands, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|The interior of the new cathedral, showing its multi-coloured stained glass at right]]

===Modern art===
To complement its [[modern architecture]], Spence's vision for Coventry's new cathedral required that it be filled with the best examples of contemporary art, in his own words, ''"like a casket of jewels"''. Many were commissioned by Spence himself early on in his planning of the cathedral, the architect working directly with the artists to ensure that each individual artwork contributed to the integrity of the whole. As a result, the cathedral is famous for its significant collection of mainly British mid-20th century artworks by some of the UK's most noteworthy post-war artists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fox |first=James |title=A Casket of Jewels: The Art and Architecture of Coventry Cathedral |url=https://heni.com/talks/a-casket-of-jewels |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=HENI Talks |language=en}}</ref> These include:

*[[Jacob Epstein|Jacob Epstein’s]] ''[[St Michael's Victory over the Devil|St Michael’s Victory over the Devil]]'', a monumental [[bronze sculpture]] affixed to the exterior of the east wall of the cathedral. It depicts the [[Michael (archangel)|Archangel Michael]] triumphant over a bound [[Satan]], symbolising the victory of good over evil in the post-war rebuilding of Coventry.<ref>{{cite book |last=Holt |first=Richard |title=The Cathedrals of England |publisher=Hamlyn |location=London |year=1969 |pages=214–216}}</ref> The work stands over 7m high, with Michael’s wings spanning the same width.<ref>{{cite web |title=St Michael's Victory over the Devil |url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/visit-us/art-and-architecture/st-michaels-victory-over-the-devil |publisher=Coventry Cathedral |access-date=27 August 2025}}</ref> Completed shortly before Epstein’s death in 1959, the sculpture was unveiled at the cathedral’s consecration in 1962.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Jacob Epstein |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/aug/06/artsfeatures1 |work=The Guardian |date=22 August 1959 |access-date=27 August 2025}}</ref>
*A huge [[tapestry]] titled ''[[Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph]]'', designed by [[Graham Sutherland]]. At 23 metres tall and 12 metres wide, it was once thought to be the world's largest tapestry, made in one single piece.<ref name=":1" /> Located on the [[liturgical east and west|liturgical east wall]] of the [[Lady chapel|Lady Chapel]], it dominates the view from the entrance of the nave. The tapestry depicts the risen [[Christ in Majesty|Christ in the glory of God in Heaven]] within a [[mandorla]], surrounded by [[Four Evangelists|symbols of the four Evangelists]]. Its design and creation was an immense technical challenge for Sutherland. Commissioned in 1951 the design and manufacture was developed over the course of 10 years and only installed in 1962 ahead of the cathedral's consecration. It was woven by hand in [[Aubusson, Creuse|Aubusson]] in [[France]] on a 500 year old [[loom]] made from two tree trunks from one continuous piece of wool.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/our-story/works-of-art/christ-in-glory-by-graham-sutherland|title=Christ in Glory by Graham Sutherland|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Adrian |title=Christ in Glory – Conserving one of the world's largest tapestries at Coventry Cathedral |url=https://museumsandheritage.com/advisor/posts/christ-in-glory-conserving-one-of-the-worlds-largest-tapestry-at-coventry-cathedral |website=Museums + Heritage Advisor |date=15 January 2016 |access-date=28 August 2025}}</ref>
*The Baptistry window designed by [[John Piper (artist)|John Piper]], who as an [[British official war artists|official war artist]] had painted the ruins of the old cathedral in 1940. Likened to a tapering curtain of coloured light, this monumental floor-to-ceiling window, 21.9m high and 18m wide, consists of 198 individual [[stained glass]] panes set into a convex concrete chequerboard frame designed by Spence. Piper worked in collaboration with glassmaker [[Patrick Reyntiens]], with whom he would go on to forge a near 40 year partnership. To create unity on such a scale, Piper used dazzling colour and individual abstract patterns that are unique to each panel and combine to give the overall impression of a dazzling yellow sunburst to the centre. The primarily blue glass above and green below creates a scene reminiscent of sunrise, an appropriate metaphor for both the window's setting in the baptistry and the new cathedral itself, rising from the ruins of the old. The window was commissioned from Piper and Reyntiens by the Coventry Cathedral Reconstruction Committee in 1955 and manufactured over the course of three years from 1958 to 1961.<ref name="auto5">{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/our-story/works-of-art/baptistery-windows|title=Baptistery Window, by John Piper|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto6">{{cite web|url=https://spectator.co.uk/article/from-the-archives-coventry-cathedral/|title=From the archives: Coventry Cathedral|website=The Spectator|date=25 May 2012 |accessdate=3 January 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto7">{{cite web |author1-link=Goldmark Gallery|title=WATCH: Patrick Reyntiens "Stained Glass" Coventry Cathedral|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbN9RIhFRTQ |via=YouTube |publisher=Goldmark Gallery |language=en |format=video |date=4 October 2011}}</ref>
*Ten stained glass windows in the nave, by [[Lawrence Lee]], [[Keith New]] and [[Geoffrey Clarke]], which are angled to face towards the altar and away from the congregation. Spence's concept for these windows was that opposite pairs would represent a pattern of growth from birth to old age, culminating in heavenly glory nearest the altar—one side representing Human, the other side, the Divine. The commission was led by Lee, who enlisted New and Clarke, two recent graduates from the [[Royal College of Art]], as collaborators rather than assistants. The three artists worked individually on three windows each and together on the tenth.<ref name="H-Net"/> Treating the windows as pairs, New designed the green windows representing youth, Lee worked on the red and gold windows symbolising early manhood, and Clarke designed the purple windows depicting wisdom and old age.<ref name="H-Net">{{cite web |url=http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=H-Stained-Glass&month=1105&week=a&msg=A2N1FfVAm0/RUnWJS3AOrQ&user=&pw= |title=Lawrence Lee |first=Barbara |last=Krueger |date=3 May 2011 |work=[[H-Net|H-Stained-Glass]] |accessdate=29 April 2013}}</ref>
*The Great West Window known as the ''Screen of Saints and Angels'', depicting 66 saints and angels engraved directly into the individual glass panes in an expressionist style by [[John Hutton (artist)|John Hutton]]. Located at the entrance of the new cathedral It acts as both a wall and a window, linking the old cathedral with the new, ensuring that the ruins are visible from inside and providing a reminder of the path from destruction to resurrection.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/our-story/works-of-art/west-screen|title=West Screen by John Hutton|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref> A pane of the Hutton window, depicting ''The Angel with the Eternal Gospel'', was smashed during a burglary in January 2020.<ref name="LLoyd">{{cite web|last1=LLoyd|first1=Matt|title=John Hutton window smashed in break-in at Coventry Cathedral|url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/john-hutton-window-smashed-break-17624238|website=Coventry Live|access-date=24 January 2020|date=24 January 2020}}</ref>
*Eight massive stone panels set into the walls of the nave, known as the ''Tablets of the Word'', carved in-situ by the [[émigré]] German letter carver [[Ralph Beyer]]. Their deliberately irregular lettering was inspired by early Christian inscriptions, especially as seen in Roman crypts.<ref name=":1" /> Beyer also carved the foundation stone, the baptismal font (made from a [[boulder]] sourced in [[Bethlehem]]) and the greeting set into the floor of the nave.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/our-story/works-of-art/tablets-of-the-word|title=Tablets of the Word, by Ralph Beyer|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref>
*Three sculptures in bronze by [[Geoffrey Clarke]]: The [[Altar cross|High Altar Cross]] cast in an organic form reminiscent of a tree or bird, which to its centre holds the [[Coventry Cross of Nails|Cross of Nails]], made from three medieval roof nails salvaged from the rubble of the old Cathedral after its destruction, from which Clarke took inspiration for its gnarled form; the bronze [[Crown of thorns|Crown of Thorns]] sculpture that hangs centrally above the altar in the Chapel of Christ the Servant, and; the bronze winged cross sculpture that crowns the 26 metre [[Flèche (architecture)|flèche]] that climbs above the roof.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/our-story/works-of-art/high-altar-cross-by-geoffrey-clarke|title=High Altar Cross by Geoffrey Clarke|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/locations/chapel-of-christ-the-servant|title=Chapel of Christ the Servant|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Coventry Cathedral: Sir Basil Spence |url=https://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/cathedrals/newcathedral.php?pg=spence |website=Historic Coventry |access-date=2025-08-27}}</ref>
*The [[lectern]] bookrest in the form of an [[eagle]], cast in bronze by the sculptor [[Elisabeth Frink]],<ref name="Campbell">{{cite book|last1=Campbell|first1=Louise|title=Coventry Cathedral : art and architecture in post-war Britain|date=1996|publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=9780198175193|pages=235–236}}</ref> Frink's first major commission, she modelled the eagle directly in plaster and, using ordinary kindling wood, gave the effect of feathers. The result is an entirely original take on a traditional piece of liturgical furniture.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/our-story/works-of-art/lectern-eagle-by-elisabeth-frink|title=Lectern Eagle, by Elizabeth Frink|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref>
*An emotive sculpture of the ''Mater Dolorosa'', made in 1970 by [[John Bridgeman (sculptor)|John Bridgeman]] in the [[Lady chapel|Lady Chapel]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Michael |first=M. A. |title=John Bridgeman – Fiercely unconventional sculptor who eschewed London galleries |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-bridgeman-486382.html |work=The Independent |date=13 January 2005 |access-date=27 August 2025}}</ref>
*The Swedish windows located in the [[Lady chapel|Lady Chapel]], a gift of the people of Sweden, made by [[Einar Forseth]] and installed in 1961. Forseth used traditional stained glass techniques in an accessible, [[Modernism|Modernist]] style. Forseth also designed the mosaic floor in the Chapel of Unity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/our-story/works-of-art/the-swedish-windows|title=The Swedish Windows, by Einar Forseth|website=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref>
*A Mosaic in the Chapel of Christ in Gethsemane by [[Steven Sykes (artist)|Steven Sykes]], depicting the ''Angel of Agony'' that is first seen from outside the chapel through a wrought-iron screen in the from of the [[Crown of thorns|Crown of Thorns]], designed by Spence himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/locations/chapel-of-christ-in-gethsemane|title=Chapel of Christ in Gethsemane|publisher=Coventry Cathedral|accessdate=27 August 2025}}</ref>
*[[Margaret Traherne|Margaret Traherne’s]] stained-glass windows in the Chapel of Unity. Executed in the [[Dalle de verre|dalle-de-verre]] technique, these narrow slits of coloured glass transform sunlight into vibrant hues that wash across the chapel’s interior concrete surfaces, creating a contemplative, spiritual atmosphere.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chapel of Unity|url=https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/locations/chapel-of-unity |publisher=Coventry Cathedral |access-date=27 August 2025}}</ref>

<gallery widths="270px" heights="270px">
File:St Michael's victory over the Devil by Sir Jacob Epstein, Coventry Cathedral.jpg|upright|''[[St Michael's Victory over the Devil]]'', bronze sculpture by [[Jacob Epstein]]
File:Christ in Glory tapestry by Graham Sutherland in Coventry Cathedral.jpg|''[[Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph]]'', tapestry by [[Graham Sutherland]]
File:Coventry Cathedral - baptistry window - geograph.org.uk - 6972051.jpg|Baptistry window by [[John Piper (artist)|John Piper]] and [[Patrick Reyntiens]]
File: Coventry Cathedral, Baptistery window detail (29757797032).jpg | Baptistry window, detail
File: Coventry Cathedral interior (29578052260).jpg | View from altar, showing stained glass windows by [[Lawrence Lee]], [[Keith New]] and [[Geoffrey Clarke]], and Clarke's bronze Altar Cross.
File: Coventry Cathedral, nave window 3 (30063478551).jpg | Nave window by [[Lawrence Lee]].
File: Coventry Cathedral, February 2023 16.jpg|[[Geoffrey Clarke|Geoffrey Clarke's]] bronze Crown of Thorns in the Chapel of Christ the Servant
File:New coventry cathedral spire 14d06.jpg|[[Geoffrey Clarke|Geoffrey Clarke's]] winged cross sculpture that crowns the flèche 
File:Angel Window 1961 John Hutton.jpg|''Screen of Saints and Angels'' by [[John Hutton (artist)|John Hutton]]
File:Through the screen of saints and angels, Coventry Cathedral (8542657114) (The Angel with the Eternal Gospel).jpg|upright=0.5|''The Angel with the Eternal Gospel'' by [[John Hutton (artist)|John Hutton]], which was smashed in 2020
File:The Tablets of the Word 07.JPG |One of ten stone panels, known as ''The Tablets of the Word'', by [[Ralph Beyer]]
File:Coventry Cathedral font.jpg|Baptismal font by [[Ralph Beyer]]
File:Coventry Cathedral, February 2023 18.jpg|Lady Chapel window by [[Einar Forseth]]
File:Coventry Cathedral -interior2.jpg|''Angel of Agony'' mosaic by [[Steven Sykes (artist)|Steven Sykes]], seen through [[Basil Spence|Basil Spence's]] Crown of Thorns screen.
File:Stained glass window, Chapel of Unity, Coventry Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 5127713.jpg|Chapel of Unity window by [[Margaret Traherne]]
</gallery>

==Ministry and mission==

The ministry and mission of the newly consecrated Cathedral has been shaped by the twin priorities of resurrection and reconciliation, established by Provost Howard in the days after the bombing in 1940. The first Provost of the new Cathedral, appointed in 1958 in readiness for the opening in 1962, was HCN (Bill) Williams, who brought the phrase "Christians heal the wounds of history" from his native South Africa. Williams focussed the new Cathedral on witnessing to what God was doing in the world, rather than inside the church, leading a team who were deeply involved in ministry in the city, including the poorer areas, different faith communities, and industry. He also built relationships with Germany and elsewhere in the world through the Community of the Cross of Nails [https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/reconciliation/community-of-the-cross-of-nails link]. The outward focus of the Cathedral and commitment to reconciliation has remained core to its work, and shapes the work of the whole of the Diocese of Coventry.

Successive deans have brought their own theological and missional emphases. Dean John Petty (Provost 1988–2000, Dean 2000) brought a focus on the healing ministry. Dean John Irvine (2001–2012), one of the co-authors of the Alpha Course had a strong emphasis on bible teaching and evangelism. Dean John Witcombe (from 2013) has renewed the early priorities of reconciliation in the world, especially using the arts as a way of stimulating imagination and establishing the role of Canon for Arts and Reconciliation.

The Cathedral's story, embodied in its art and architecture, make it a popular venue for Christian and other events for organisations that want to draw from its values. Since 1962 the Cathedral, encompassing the ruins and new building, has hosted many innovative events, both religious and secular.

It continues to be host to an international network of partners working for reconciliation, the Community of the Cross of Nails
[[File:St Michael's Cathedral ruins, Coventry.jpg|thumb|upright|The spire of the original St Michael's Cathedral remains to this day.]]

The cathedral is also known for innovation in its services. As well as the expected traditional services (on Sundays, [[eucharist]] at 10:30&nbsp;am and choral [[evensong]] at 4&nbsp;pm), there is a 6&nbsp;pm Sunday service with contemporary music, preaching and [[prayer]] [[Minister (Christianity)|ministry]]. The Cathedral Youth Work runs Goth church and Urban Church outreach congregations for local groups of young people, an equipping and supporting cell group for youth workers within Coventry churches as well as a number of other regular groups. There continues to be a strong influence of reconciliation within the theology (both vertical: reconciling people to God; and horizontal: reconciling individuals and groups). This is present throughout the ministry of the cathedral but is most clearly seen in the [[International Centre for Reconciliation]] and the International Network of Communities of the Cross of Nails. The reconciliation work exists locally in reconciling churches and community groups but also internationally (predominantly in the Middle East and central Africa) working with terrorists and dictators as well as local churches, tribes and gangs.

[[Justin Welby]] (then a canon of the cathedral) established a special day for bereaved parents in the cathedral after the death of his own daughter. There is now an annual service commemorating the lives of children who have died. A book with the names of dead children is on display in the cathedral and anyone whose child has died under any circumstances can ask for their child's name to be added to the book.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20251972|title=The new Archbishop of Canterbury: 10 lesser-known things|first1=Jayne|last1=Lutwyche|first2=Karen|last2=Millington|work=[[BBC News]]|date=9 November 2012|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109185323/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20251972|archive-date=9 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>{{clear left}}

==Symbols of reconciliation==
The old cathedral grounds are home to a number of symbols of reconciliation to complement the church's mission. At first, however, the cathedral and its symbols represented the wartime destruction and barbarity.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Foss|first1=Brian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7t2FIJU1VX0C&dq=%22Coventry+Cathedral%22+symbol&pg=PA55|title=War Paint: Art, War, State and Identity in Britain, 1939–1945|last2=Foss|first2=Professor of Art History School for Studies in Art and Culture Brian|date=2007-01-01|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-10890-3|page=55|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Wiebe|first=Heather|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hdymeh_0HGsC&dq=%22Coventry+Cathedral%22+symbol&pg=PA192|title=Britten's Unquiet Pasts: Sound and Memory in Postwar Reconstruction|date=2012-10-04|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-19467-9|pages=192|language=en}}</ref>

===The Charred Cross===
[[File:Coventry Cathedral burnt cross.jpg|thumb|The Charred cross, with the "Father Forgive" inscription behind]]

The Charred Cross was created after the cathedral was bombed during the [[Coventry Blitz]] of the [[Second World War]]. The cathedral stonemason, Jock Forbes, saw two wooden beams lying in the shape of a cross and tied them together. A replica of the Charred Cross built in 1964 has replaced the original in the ruins of the old cathedral on an altar of rubble. The original is now kept on the stairs linking the cathedral with St Michael's Hall below.

===The Cross of Nails===
{{main|Coventry Cross of Nails}}
The Cross of Nails, also created after the Blitz, was made of three nails from the roof truss of the old cathedral by Provost Richard Howard of Coventry Cathedral at the suggestion of a young friend, the Reverend [[Arthur Philip Wales]]. It was later transferred to the new cathedral, where it sits in the centre of the altar cross. It has become a symbol of peace and reconciliation across the world. There are over 260 Cross of Nails Centres all over the world, all of them bearing a cross made of three nails from the ruins, similar to the original one. When there were no more of these nails, a continuing supply has come from a prison in Germany. They are coordinated by the [[International Centre for Reconciliation]].

[[File:16-142a Coventry Cross.jpg|thumb| The cross of nails donated to the [[Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church]]]] 
One of the crosses made of nails from the old cathedral was donated to the [[Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church]] in [[Berlin]], which was destroyed by [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombing and is also kept as a ruin alongside a newer building. A replica of the cross of nails was also presented to the [[Chapel of Reconciliation]] ({{Lang|de|Kapelle der Versöhnung}}), which forms part of the [[Berlin Wall]] Memorial.

A medieval cross of nails has also been carried on board all British warships that have subsequently borne the name {{HMS|Coventry}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cross of nails recovered from wreck of HMS Coventry goes to Royal Navy's newest warship|url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/cross-nails-recovered-wreck-hms-3044091|date=26 April 2013|work=[[Coventry Telegraph]]|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831131923/http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/cross-nails-recovered-wreck-hms-3044091|archive-date=31 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The cross of nails was on board the [[Type 42 destroyer]] {{HMS|Coventry|D118|2}} when she was sunk by enemy action in the [[Falklands War]]. The cross was salvaged by [[Royal Navy]] divers, and presented to Coventry Cathedral by the ship's Captain and colleagues.<ref>''The Army quarterly and defence journal, Volume 113.'' West of England Press. p. 229.</ref> The cross was subsequently presented first to the next {{HMS|Coventry|F98|2}} in 1988 until she was decommissioned in 2002, and then to {{HMS|Diamond|D34|6}}, which is affiliated to Coventry, during her commissioning ceremony on 6 May 2011 by [[David Hart Dyke|Captain David Hart-Dyke]], the commanding officer of ''Coventry'' when she was sunk.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/east-hampshire/navy_s_newest_ship_will_carry_a_poignant_reminder_of_the_past_1_2659444|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919182232/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/east-hampshire/navy_s_newest_ship_will_carry_a_poignant_reminder_of_the_past_1_2659444|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 September 2012|title=Navy's newest ship will carry a poignant reminder of the past|date=7 May 2011|newspaper=[[The News (Portsmouth)|The Portsmouth News]]|access-date=7 May 2011 }}</ref>

===The ''Stalingrad Madonna'' ===
A copy of the ''[[Stalingrad Madonna]]'' by Kurt Reuber that was drawn in 1942 in [[Stalingrad]] (now [[Volgograd]]) is shown in the cathedrals of all three cities (Berlin, Coventry and Volgograd) as a sign of the reconciliation of the three countries that were once enemies.

===The statue of ''Reconciliation''===
[[File:Reconciliation Statue, The Old Cathedral, Coventry.jpg|thumb|''[[Reconciliation (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture)|Reconciliation]]'', by [[Josefina de Vasconcellos]]]]

In 1994 the cathedral received a copy of the statue ''[[Reconciliation (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture)|Reconciliation]]'', by [[Josefina de Vasconcellos]]. Originally created in 1977 and entitled ''Reunion'', it had been presented to the [[University of Bradford]]'s Peace Studies department. After repairs and renaming, a bronze cast of the statue was presented to the cathedral in 1995, to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Similar copies are held at the [[Hiroshima Peace Park]] in Japan, at the [[Stormont Estate]] in Northern Ireland, and at the [[Chapel of Reconciliation]] in Berlin.

The [[BBC]] broadcast a documentary in 1962 entitled ''Act of Faith'', narrated by [[Leo Genn]], detailing the history of Coventry Cathedral, its destruction and rebuilding.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Baker|editor1-first=Simon|editor2-last=Terris|editor2-first=Olwen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zWdZAAAAMAAJ&q=act+of+faith|date=February 1994|title=A to Z: A for Andromeda to Zoo Time: the TV Holdings of the National Film and Television Archive, 1936–1979|publisher=British Film Institute|page=3|isbn=9780851704203}}</ref>

==Music==

The [[precentor]] of the new Coventry Cathedral at the opening service was Joseph Poole.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churchmusic.org.uk/cathmus/coventry.php|title=St Michael|publisher=English Cathedrals Music|date=14 November 1998|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515125817/http://www.churchmusic.org.uk/cathmus/coventry.php|archive-date=15 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The service was televised and watched by many.

===Organ===
The cathedral has a [[pipe organ]] by [[Harrison & Harrison]] dating from 1962, which is recognised as one of the finest in the UK. A specification of the organ can be found on the [http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N07508 National Pipe Organ Register].

===Directors of music===
{|class="wikitable" 
|-
! Year 
! Name
|-
|{{circa|1505}}
|John Gylbard<ref>{{cite web|title=The City of Coventry: Churches, Churches built before 1800|work=A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 8, the City of Coventry and Borough of Warwick|editor-first=W B|editor-last=Stephens|location=London|year=1969|pages=321–361|publisher=[[British History Online]]|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol8/pp321-361|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703193907/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol8/pp321-361|archive-date=3 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> 
|-
|1733–1749
|Thomas Deane
|-
|1750–1790
|[[Capel Bond]]
|-
|1790–1818
|Mr Woodroffe
|-
|1828–1885
|[[Edward Simms]]
|-
|1886–1892
|[[Herbert Brewer]]
|-
|1892–1898
|[[Harry Crane Perrin]] (afterwards organist of [[Canterbury Cathedral]])
|-
|1898
|Walter Hoyle (first organist of the cathedral)
|-
|1928
|Harold Rhodes (formerly organist of [[St John's Church, Torquay]])
|-
|1933
|Alan Stephenson
|-
|1961
|David Foster Lepine
|-
|1972
|Robert Weddle
|-
|1977
|Ian Little
|-
|1984
|Paul Leddington Wright (now assistant director of music)
|-
|1995
|David Poulter (subsequently organist of [[Chester Cathedral]] and director of music at [[Liverpool Cathedral]])
|-
|1997
|[[Rupert Jeffcoat]] (subsequently director of music and organist at [[St John's Cathedral, Brisbane]])
|-
|2005
|Alistair Reid ''(acting)''
|-
|2006
|[[Kerry Beaumont]]
|-
|2020
|[[Rachel Mahon]] 
|}

===Assistant organists / Assistant Director of Music===
{{Incomplete list|date=December 2008}}
{{div col}}
* Allan Hawthorne-Baker 1934–1939
* Michael Burnett {{When|date=August 2025|reason=term not stated.}}
* Robert George Weddle 1964–1972 (then organist)
* J. Richard Lowry 1972–1976
* Ian Little 1976–1977 (then organist)
* Paul Leddington Wright 1977–1984 (then organist)
* Timothy Hone (1984–1987)
* Chris Argent (1987–1990)
* David Poulter 1990–1995 (then director of music)
* [[Daniel Moult]] 1995–2002
* Martyn Lane {{When|date=August 2025|reason=term not stated.}}
* Alistair Reid 2004–2011
* Laurence Lyndon-Jones 2011–2013
* [[Rachel Mahon]] 2018–2020 
* Luke Fitzgerald 2021–2025
* Liam Condon 2025
{{div col end}}

==Dean and chapter==
As of June 2024:<ref>[https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/about-us/governance Coventry Cathedral—Our leadership team]</ref>

* [[Dean of Coventry|Dean]]: [[John Witcombe]] (since 19 January 2013)
* Andrew Walster (Senior Non-Executive Member)
* Bishop of Warwick
* Canon for Art and Reconciliation: Kate Massey
* Canon for Worship and Welcome: Nitano Muller
* Chris Cliffe
* David Johnston
* Graham Warren
* Martin Williams
* Richard Sapcote
* Robin Thomas

==Burials==
* [[Gerard la Pucelle]], [[Bishop of Coventry]] (1183–1184)
* [[Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs]], [[Bishop of Coventry]] (1918–1922): a bronze effigy of him, commissioned by [[Hamo Thornycroft]], was the only artefact to survive the [[Coventry Blitz|bombing of the old Coventry Cathedral in 1940]]

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200" heights="200" perrow="6">
File:Anon - St Michael’s in Coventry.jpg|''St Michael's in Coventry'' (Anon, {{Circa|1850}})
File:David Gee - Interior of St Michael's Church, Coventry.jpg|Interior of St Michael's Church by [[David Gee (artist)|David Gee]], 1862
File:Winston Churchill at Coventry Cathedral cph.3a18421.jpg|[[Winston Churchill]] visiting the ruins of the old cathedral in 1941
File:Ruins of the Old Cathedral -Coventry-5July2008.jpg|The surviving tower and steeple, which functions as a working bell tower
File: Interior of Coventry Cathedral, 15 November 1940 - John Piper - 1940.jpg|The ruined cathedral, as depicted by [[John Piper (artist)|John Piper]] in 1940.
File:Bishop Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman-Biggs full.jpg|Effigy and tomb of [[Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs]], first Bishop of Coventry
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Bishop of Coventry]] Chronological list of Bishops from 1918 to present.
* [[Dean of Coventry]] Chronological list of Provosts and Deans
* [[List of cathedrals in the United Kingdom]]
* [[List of tallest structures built before the 20th century]]
* [[Grade I listed buildings in Coventry]]
* [[Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church]], its German counterpart in Berlin
* [[Coventry Chronicle]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Coventry Cathedral}}
* {{official website|https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/}}
* [https://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/cathedrals/cathedrals.php Further reading about Coventry's three Cathedrals]
* [http://www.coventrycathedraltour.org.uk/ Virtual tour of both the new cathedral and the ruins] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023080453/http://www.coventrycathedraltour.org.uk/ |date=23 October 2020 }}
* [https://www.macearchive.org/films/reyner-coventry-cathedral-consecration-and-various-construction The consecration and construction in 1962]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20191119124022/http://www.crossofnails.org/ The Cross of Nails website]}}
* [https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Coventry%20Cathedral&w=all&s=int Flickr images tagged Coventry Cathedral]
* {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20121224170237/http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N07508 Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ Register]}}
* [http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications/newsletters/16_2/feature2.html Photograph of interior prior to destruction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607113734/http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications/newsletters/16_2/feature2.html|date=7 June 2011 }}
* [https://vidimus.org/issues/issue-33/feature/ "Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: The Medieval Stained Glass of Coventry Cathedral"] — ''Vidimus'' article about the cathedral's medieval stained glass

{{Cathedrals of the Church of England}}
{{Provosts and Deans of Coventry}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Coventry Cathedral|Coventry Cathedral]]
[[Category:Anglican cathedrals in England|Coventry]]
[[Category:Basil Spence buildings]]
[[Category:British churches bombed by the Luftwaffe]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Coventry]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the United Kingdom destroyed during World War II]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1962]]
[[Category:Churches in Coventry]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Diocese of Coventry]]
[[Category:Grade I listed cathedrals]]
[[Category:Grade I listed churches in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Ruins of churches destroyed during World War II]]
[[Category:Ruins in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Coventry]]
[[Category:20th-century church buildings in England]]