St John's sanctuary designs 2021 - The architect explains the themes
Gabriel Gillick has designed the new artwork in the church sanctuary, based on the original Victorian themes. One of the motifs is taken from the Pugin artwork in the Blessed Sacrament chapel at the Cathedral, to tie in with the Pugin design of the church and to emphasise its connection with the Cathedral. Here he explains some of the meanings and symbols in his work:
Pattern-work at St. John The Baptist Catholic church
The new Sanctuary decoration at the church is for a single important purpose: To make the setting of the holy liturgies of the Mass beautiful, special, out-of-the-ordinary and splendid, and, in so doing, to glorify God.
The patterns used in the decoration - both in our new work and in the original 19th Century decoration – are largely based upon floral forms and folk customs that derive from ancient practices and the medieval Church.
What have people done in all places since the dawn of civilisation to make a place of celebration and joy beautiful and special? We have garlanded them with flowers, greenery and ribbons. And so the arch, windows and walls of the Sanctuary are being garlanded with painted and stencilled versions of flowers, vines, ivy and entwining ribbons.
Within the garlands are monograms representing Our Lady and the name of Christ, small symbols based upon the cross of crucifixion, the trefoil representing the Holy Trinity and the quatrefoil representing the four Evangelists
Beautiful wooden Tabernacle setting
The beautiful wooden Tabernacle setting made and installed by the talented Gillick family during the sanctuary redecoration of 2021.
The design for the reredos as a whole reflects the architecture and design of the building, including elements to tie in with the existing altar. It also includes painted and carved imagery of leaves and flowers commonly used in Pugin’s painted decoration and carvings.
The canopy over the Tabernacle represents both Christ’s crown of thorns, and the triumphant crown of the risen Christ, and the crown of baptism - Incorporating both carved woven thorns and forms that resemble a monarch's crown.
The fan vault beneath the crown runs down into a central composite shaft composed of three rods. This shaft draws the eye down to the Tabernacle in which is the True Presence, visually linking and drawing a link in our minds between baptism, crucifixion and resurrection.
The three rods in the composite shaft below the crown represent both the 3 nails of the crucifixion, and the three persons of God; the Holy Trinity.
Gabriel Gillick designed a new setting for the Tabernacle, which his brother Benedict made and installed.