Ecclesiart is an online project that raises awareness of significant works of modern and contemporary art since 1920 in UK churches and cathedrals.
The selected works represent the diversity of high quality church commissions and reflect developments in artistic practice and ecclesiastical art and design. You can explore the collection using the tiles below or by using the Ecclesiart map.
We seek to encourage increased responsibility towards works which may be under-appreciated or at risk and hope that this selection of works provides inspiring and challenging examples of art in churches useful to any parish or individual wishing to commission a new work.
We welcome nominations of new works to be added to Ecclesiart. Please email us with a short text about why you think a work of art should be included with a short theological reflection on the work and its context (no longer than 150 words) and if possible please include images. Please note that we do not accept nominations from artists for their own work.
All permanent works shortlisted for the Award for Art in a Religious Context are added to Ecclesiart. For all other nominations, the Director and trustees of Art and Christianity reserve the right to select works which they determine as meeting the criteria of aptness to context, artistic and technical merit and appropriate theological meaning.
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Charles Gurrey: A Tribute to Wilfred Owen
In 2014, Ripon Cathedral acquired an installation acknowledging the Great War. ‘A Tribute to Wilfred Owen’ by Charles Gurrey is set on the wall above the altar in the chapel of Peace and Justice at the west end of the north aisle of the nave in the position of a reredos.
Carel Weight: Christ and the People
Known for his many commissions included murals for the Festival of Britain in 1951 and Manchester Cathedral in 1963, Carel Weight was strongly guided by the specific locations of his paintings.
Léonie Seliger: Godmersham windows
In 2015, Leslie Smith, the then Chairman of the Friends of Godmersham Church, approached the stained glass artist and conservationist Léonie Seliger with an idea to create new glass work for the church in memory of his late wife, Sue. The two windows at the apsidal east end of the largely unadorned North Chapel were chosen. The PCC soon approved the designs, which are a gentle celebration of nature and which recall the pattern made by exposed stones and their dark mortar joints fixed into the limestone arch above.
Pietro Annigoni: Immaculate Heart of Mary
Painted in 1961 for the Church of the same name, Mary is depicted as the strong Mother of Mankind. The child, sleeping peacefully on her arm, represents humanity undisturbed by the chaos of the world, shown in the blazing explosion of the background.
Ceri Richards: All Souls and All Saints windows
Two windows installed in the Gibbs nave of the Cathedral. All Saints is the East window of South aisle and All Souls the east window of the north aisle.
Ptolemy Mann: Oceanic Ray
This new, modern church was a collaboration between the architects Greenhill Jenner and Portal Architecture commissioned to replace the original church destroyed by fire in the 1970s.
Chris Eckersley and Gareth Neal: Re-ordering of the Sanctuary
Following a major refurbishment in 2010 it was apparent the reconfigured space lacked visual cohesion. Monsignor Curry wished to commission suitably qualified artist-designers to produce a new, unified scheme of furnishings.
John Maddison: Altar and reredos for Lady Chapel
This work was shortlisted for the ACE Award for Art in a Religious Context 2015.
Jonah Jones: Window, baldacchino and mosaics
Jonah Jones' concrete-glass window, baldacchino and mosaics are installed at the Catholic Church of St Patrick, Newport, Gwent. The large window shows the saint in purple archbishop’s vestments.