1) Chichester Cathedral Tapestry

Designed by John Piper (1903-1992) who never designed a tapestry before. Preliminary ideas and sketches were discussed by Dean and Chapter, and Piper worked closely with skilled French weavers to ensure that everything was perfect. John Piper is recorded as saying that the Chichester tapestry was “in some ways the most frightening commission” he had ever received.

Installed in 1966, the Piper Tapestry consists of seven panels each 1 metre wide and 5 metres high and was woven by Pinton Freres at Felletin near Aubusson in France, where a few years earlier the Sutherland tapestry for Coventry Cathedral had been made. The tapestry covers the sixteenth century oak reredos from the bishopric of Robert Sherborne, (1508-1536), the oak gothic canopies can be seen just above the tapestry.

The subject of the tapestry is the Holy Trinity which is represented by the central green triangle as a symbol of indivisibility. God the Father – the Light of the World – is represented by the white disc of the sun. God the Son is represented by the purple tau cross [Greek letter T], and the Holy Spirit is represented by the feathered flame.

The ancient Greeks thought that the world and the universe were created form four elements, Earth, Air Fire and Water. These are depicted above the images of the Trinity form left to right.

2) Creo Odyssey

It is free to join us for a day of sketching and painting at the Cathedral — indoors or outdoors — on Saturday 16 May.

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https://creoodyssey.wixsite.com/sussex