Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
archical, more consensus-oriented approach to decision making. Among Anglicans
there are divisions, from Low Church congregations (more evangelical and “Prot-
estant”) to High Church (more traditional and “Catholic”).
The Church of England, the largest single body, is still the official religion of
the state, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury (who presides in Canterbury but
lives in London). In 1982, Pope John Paul II and the then Archbishop of Canterbury
met face-to-face. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI visited London and joined the Arch-
bishop in prayer. Pope Francis has indicated that he wants to continue bridging the
gap that has existed since the Reformation. These symbolic gestures signal a new
ecumenical spirit.
In 1854, Hunt debuted
The Light of the World
(not this version, but a smaller one now
at Oxford). The critics savaged it—“syrupy,” “too Catholic,” “simple”—but the masses
lapped it up. It became the most famous painting in Victorian England—in fact, in the
whole world. It was taken on tour through the vast British Empire, and was reproduced
in countless engravings. It became a pop icon that inspired sermons, poems, hymns, and
countless Christ-at-the-door paintings in churches and homes. Hunt's humble-hippie im-
age of Christ was stamped forever on the minds of generations of schoolkids. It was so
popular that late in life Hunt was asked to do this larger version specifically for St. Paul's.
Nearly blind, he needed an assistant. (
The Guardian
newspaper once published a list of
“Britain's Ten Worst Paintings.” They honored
The Light of the World
as number seven,
comparing it to a plastic crucifix.)
• Return to the area underneath the dome and walk toward the altar, along the left side of
the choir, pausing at a modern statue.
Mother and Child (1983)
Britain's (and perhaps the world's?) greatest modern sculptor, Henry Moore, rendered a
traditional subject in marble in an abstract, minimalist way. This Mary and Baby Jesus was
inspired by the sight of British moms nursing babies in WWII bomb shelters. Moore in-
tended the viewer to touch and interact with the art. It's OK.
