Coventry Cathedral Essay

1. One can consider the Coventry Cathedral a successful attempt to promote unity between workers, different Christian denominations, and Britain and Germany because it uses materials from different parts of the world and from artisans with different specialties, along with integrating the past ruins of the cathedral from the WWII bombing into the new cathedral’s architectural plan. However, one can also consider the cathedral an unsuccessful attempt to promote unity because it isolates Christian denominations that do not emphasize the Eucharist as heavily—such as Protestants—and workers from the central altar; in addition to that, its architectural plan resembling the statue of St. Michael triumphing over the devil insinuates that the English

The new structure resembles an old church because its architectural plan still centers around an altar that is used for the Eucharist. The architecture of the Coventry Cathedral was different from older churches because it reflected Jacob Epstein’s sculpture of St. Michael triumphing over the devil; this likened the ruins of the old cathedral—associated with the Germans—to the evilness of the devil, and the new additions to cathedral—associated with Britain’s recovery from the ruins of war—to the righteousness of St. Michael. In addition to that, although the rebuilt cathedral had the same components as older cathedrals, it integrated materials from all over the world to emphasize the importance of unity. However, the architectural plan of the cathedral undermines this message of unity because it establishes the English as morally superior to the Germans.
5. The materials that were used to build the new church included things such as a baptismal font, marble floors, and stained glass windows. These materials came from all over the world—such as Germany and Sweden—and were made by different types of artisans. Although these materials created striking contrasts, there was still an overall sense of unity that reflected the Church’s intention to reconcile England and Germany, the various subdivisions within society such as people of different social classes, and members of different Christian