Chapter 5: Christ Church Cathedral Part V

(Excerpts from the brochure, pictures by myself)

A Brief Tour of The Cathedral


The Chancel Vault
William Orchard, c 1500

This remarkable stone vault is made up of intricate star-shaped patterns to creat an image of heaven. Twelve beautiful pendants hang gracefully from it.


The Shrine
Built 1289, Destroyed 1538, Rebuilt 1889, 2002

The oldest monument in this cathedral, the shrine is covered in fine carvings of plants and faces. It once held the relics of St. Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford, but was destroyed at the Reformation. Frideswide was then buried beneath a nearby gravestone.


The Bell Altar
Jim Partridge, 2000

This altar was made to mark the milllennium and is dedicated in memory of Bishop George Bell, who courageously opposed the bombing of the German cities in WW2. A cross which stands near it, was cut from the underside of the altar.


St. Catherine Window
Edward Burne-Jones, 1878

The face of the central figure, St. Catherine of Alexandria, is a picture of Edith Liddell. Her sister Alice was the inspiration for the book Alice in Wonderland, and a portrait of Alice may be seen in a window in the Great Hall at Christ Church.


The Becket Window, c. 1320

This beautiful medieval window is the oldest in the cathedral, and contains a rare panel showing the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket, who died at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Becket is kneeling between a monk and the four knights who murdered him. The panel was defaced in the sixteenth century and the original face of Becket is now missing.

Chapter 5: Pictures Part IV

Chapter 5:Potter, Dodson, Frideswide, and Van Dyck - Part I

An Impression of Christ Church Gallery: Tucked away in Christ Church, past the famous Harry Potter Scenes and the breathtaking Christ Church Cathedral, is Christ Church Gallery. For a pound, one can gain admittance into a quaint gallery with exceptional display of artistic masterpieces, church icons, and even two globes. The quiet stillness of the Gallery is not just the perfect place to examine the art, but to reflect upon the sights of Christ Church and let the weight of them fall upon you. I was mesmerized by its contents. The painting of the virgin, by Niccolo do Pietro Gerini, with the natural lighting in the galllery, the light caught the gold background and illuminated it, giving the woman an angelic face. One painting, of Beatrice d’Este, was quite intriguing. While it was completed by s. studet o the Lombard School, it has qualities that are similar to one of Leonardo deVinci’s most beautiful portraits, Lady with an Ermine. Ironically Beatrice married Ludivico Sfoza who was an employer of deVinci. Finallly, I have found a new favorite artist to add to the list of my particular favorites. Sir Anthony Van Dyck’s, A Soldier on Horseback, is an oil painting with the feel of movement through his gestural techniques. I could have stood watching the fluidity of his lines in his various works for hours.

Chapter 5: Christ Church Cathedral Part II

Excerpts From the Cathedral Brochure:

"This twelfth century church is amongst the oldest buildings in Oxford, and one of the smallest Anglican cathedrals in England. It is also the only church in the world to be both a cathedral and a college chapel."

" A Place of Worship: The Cathedral is the mother church of the Dioces of Oxford, and many special services take place attended by the Bishop of Oxford. It is here that the Bishop has his throne or 'cathedra', from which a cathedral takes its name."

"A Place of Music: The Cathedral Choir was founded in 1525, and comprises 16 boys and 12 men. "

"A Brief History
c. 680-727 The life of St. Frideswide, patron saint of Oxford and founder of the first church on this site
c. 1150-1210 The present building is constructed as a monastery church
1524 The monastary is forced to close
1525 Cardinal's College is founded by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey on this site, and the church becomces a college chapel
1546 This church becomes the cathedral, and the college and cathedral are refounded by King Henry VIII as "Christ Church"
1642-1646 The English Civil War, during which King Carles I lives and worships at Christ Church
1720's John and Charles Wesley study at Christ Chruch and are both ordained in the cathedral
1870-1876 Much of the interior of the cathedral is redesigned by Sir George Gilbert Scott"

Chapter 5: Potter, Dodson, Frideswide, and Van Dyck - Part II

Tuesday after class, Susan took a group to tour Christ Church. Chrrrist Church is a college within Oxford Univeristy. While its full name is Christs Church College, it is most often called Christ Church. Walking into the main seciton of the college, I turned left down a corridor and then right into a courtyard. In the courtyard was a fountain inscribed with all kinds of religious phrases, but mostly incribed with the prhase, “Praise him” the Next to the fountain is a tree whose base is inscribed with , “ The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nation.” Then I proceeded to the right into a room with a large staircase. This is the staircase in the first Harry Potter film where Harry and his classmates wait to enter the Great Hall for the first time. I then walked up the stairs and entered into the antechamber to the Christ Church dining hall. This is the same hall used in the first two Harry Potter films for the Great Hall. It is much smaller in reality. Everything is done in blue and the walls are covered in portraits. On the back wall to ther right when hyou walk into the room is a portrait of Charls Dodson (aka Lewis Caroll). He was a graduate of Christ Church and it was while he was there that he created the Alice in Wonderland stories. The fire irons in the dining hall are actually the inspiration for Alice is allowed to walk on. I actully saw someone get in trouble for steping on the grass. I walked forward and entered Christ Church Cathedral on my right. It was a facinating and beautiful cathedral. I followed the brochure around the cathedral finding the objects it pointed out. As I was looking at the intrecate designs of the stained glass a priets stood up and asked everyone to be still and quiet. He said a prayer for all those who were sick or hurting and he prayed for all the conflicts in the world. Then he asked that everyone join him in reciting the Lords Prayer. Though the acts may not have been totally scriptural, the respect for God and acknowedging that he is in control was touching.

After the priest’s prayer I found the placque to St. Frideswyde. In Chaucer’s The Miller’s Tale, th miller swears by St. Frideswyde. This is no made up phrase, but a referance to the patron saint of Oxford. There is also a banner dedicated to her memory. In the farthest stained glass window in the middle panel was a depiction of the murder of Thomas a’Becket. However the original head of Becket was carfully cut out during the time in which having any efagy of him was illegal.

I in awe of the intrecacy of the design of every inch of the cathedral from the winows to the floor, to the furnicure and ceiling, left the cathedral to visit the gallery. The gallery was an extra pound to three pounds, but well worth it. It was not a large galllery, made up of only four rooms, yet every piece was authentic and came with a history. There was not photography allowed in the galllery, because the accidental flash of a camera damages the paintings by causing them to fade more quickly.