Every day in English Tourism Week, we are sharing one of our ‘Top Ten Tourist Treats’ here at Bradford Cathedral.
Today’s treat is the Icon of of the Holy Spirit
The Icon of the Holy Spirit was written for Bradford Cathedral by John Coleman in October 2008. The design is broadly based on and adapted from a classic fifteenth century Russian Pentecost icon showing the apostles sitting in the upper room positioned in a semi-circle round the bottom half of the round icon. The icon can be found in the Holy Spirit Chapel. It was made from one piece of African Sapele wood, using natural pigments, egg yolk and 24 ct. gold leaf on gesso.
At the top of the icon is the sunburst symbol. Egyptian Coptic icons often adapted imagery they saw on the walls of long abandoned Pharaoh’s Temples into their icons. They borrowed this symbol which the ancient Egyptians had used for their Sun God Ra, to depict the Holy Spirit. That dramatic symbol has appeared on every version of Pentecost ever since.
The sunburst with twelve radii emanating from its centre radian, dividing into two, denotes the presence of the other two persons of the Holy Trinity – God the Father and God the Son.
The icon has an interesting local touch with the realistic depiction of the Cow and Calf Rocks at Ilkley, to symbolise the Holy Spirit coming down on creation.
Another interesting local addition is rhubarb, which you can see if you look carefully at the rocks behind the Apostles!