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Beyond the Library lies the Lady Chapel. Dedicated to Our Lady, the Blessed
Virgin Mary, this chapel underwent extensive reconstruction in 1972 under the sponsorship
of the Girl's Friendly Society and the Cathedral Men's Bible Class, when the concrete ceiling
was installed. A special feature of Gothic architecture, rib vaulting channels the weight of the
roof and ceiling efficiently into the piers and walls, thus enabling larger window openings
without endangering the roof's stability. The needlepoint kneelers and chair cushions, in the
blue traditional for the Blessed Virgin, are owed to the labour and kindness of the Cathedral
Altar Guild in 1975; each piece is dated and signed on the back by its maker. To the left of the
altar, which was given in memory of Bishop White, stands a banner of St. John the Baptist. At
the rear of the Chapel, displayed in a wall case adjacent to Bishop White's cope and the mitres
of Bishops Abraham and Meaden, is the work of the two Browser (or Bowsor) sisters: the splendid
gold-embroidered Altar Frontal now used only on the greatest feast days. The Chapel's
predominantly yellow and green-toned main windows, representing Christ
before Pilate (1907)
and the Crucifixion (1904) are also by C.E. Kempe. The remaining windows on the north side,
depicting the Agony in Gethsemane (1972, Wippell Mowbray, Exeter) and
Christ before Pilate (1953), are of more recent date, showing more modern tastes in
representation. The Pilate window was executed by James Powell & Sons (Whitefriars), a
firm also responsible for four other windows in the Cathedral. Its handiwork is
distinguished by the trademark figure of a small white hooded monk, usually in the lower
right-hand part of each window. The Lady Chapel is used for the daily
services of Morning Prayer, Holy Communion and Evening Prayer. |

Christ before Pilate 1907 (105kb)

The Crucifixion (107kb)

The Agony in Gethsemene (114kb)

Christ before Pilate 1953 (106kb)
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