HERITAGE TREASURES – Christ at Calvary

By Brian Andrews, Archdiocese of Hobart Heritage Officer

This outstanding piece of twentieth-century liturgical art is the gift of the Harradine family in memory of Senator Brian Harradine (1935-2014). Designed in 1925 by the English architect Frank Ernest Howard (1888–1934), and carved from English Oak, its near life-size figures depict Christ at Calvary with his mother and St John the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross, as described in the Gospels. Howard was a pupil of the famous architect Sir Ninian Comper whose style and teachings had a strong influence on his work. Comper, it turn, was very much a disciple of Pugin, as was William Wardell, the designer of St Mary’s Cathedral.

Frank Howard is best remembered as the author of the 1917 book, English Church Woodwork, which is still widely regarded as the best treatise on the subject. His architecture and furnishing designs were “always in a medieval style, within which he was capable of producing work that was both historically correct and aesthetically satisfying. As well as designing church furnishings and fittings he was also responsible for the restoration or extension of several churches, work which was always done sensitively and with a feel for the original structure”.

Our Calvary Group was originally commissioned for St Catharine’s Anglican Church, Nottingham, opened in 1884. The area around St Catharine’s was subjected to large-scale demolition in the 1960s and 1970s, and the church was declared redundant in 1980. It was closed in 2003 and the Calvary Group was placed in storage. The Group came onto the market in October 2014 and was purchased for St Mary’s Cathedral, being installed there in May 2015.

The painted and partly-gilt ensemble is rich in symbolism. The arms of the cross have new leaf buds sprouting from their edges, reminding us that it was the life-giving instrument through which we have been redeemed: “for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free”. The cross arms terminate with fleurs-de-lis, symbolic forms of the lily traditionally associated with the Mother of God. They remind us of her intimate connection with her Son’s death on the cross. At the extremities of the cross arms can be seen winged figures, being the traditional symbols of the four Evangelists: an angel (Matthew), a lion (Mark), a bull (Luke) and an eagle (John). They have been so depicted in Christian imagery for well over a millennium and are linked to St John the Evangelist’s vision of the court of heaven as described in the book of Revelation. He mentions four living creatures around the throne: “the first living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third creature had a living face, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle” (Rev. 4:6–9). The cross-piece upon which Our Lady and St John stand is supported by a pair of brackets in the form of dolphins. These creatures were for early Christians symbols of the resurrection. Overall, the cross with its cross-piece has the shape of an anchor, another early Christian symbol found in the catacombs and signifying hope (Heb. 6:17–20).

Tags: Heritage Conservation, Northern Deanery, Southern Deanery