Community of St Mary the Virgin, Wantage
Photographs of the Chapels
(click on a photograph to see a larger image)
St Mary Magdalene Chapel
The oldest of the two public chapels, this was designed by William Butterfield and erected in 1860. Around the interior walls are teak Stations of the Cross, carved by Mother Maribel CSMV over the course of 27 years. The design for the cross on the east wall was inspired by atomic research. An American physicist succeeded in photographing a cluster of atoms present in a single crystal of metal at the tip of a platinum needle. When magnified 750,000 times the atoms were shown to be in the form of a cross.
St Mary Chapel
The work of John Loughborough Pearson, this Chapel was consecrated in 1889 and was redecorated in 1923 by Sir Ninian Comper. The two rows of choir stalls, the stone vaulting and the tiled floor by the high altar are reminiscent of Truro Cathedral, also designed by the same Architect.
Brief history of the St Mary Chapel 1887 to 1926
Brief history of the St Mary Chapel 1927 to 1982 and other areas of interest
Information about the windows in the sanctuary and choir
Information about the east window, statuary and saints over the sedilias.