Famous Shrine of St Richard, newly restored and dedicated...

Chichester Cathedral’s newly restored Shrine of St Richard, has just been unveiled and dedicated.  On the 27th November, Advent Sunday, a special service was held to dedicate the refurbished Shrine, which has been much enhanced by the recent work.  The Shrine of St Richard has been a famous site of pilgrimage since the thirteenth century, and remains a focus for prayer in the Cathedral where visitors can come and light a candle and leave written prayer requests - it is not unusual for over 200 prayers to be left at the Shrine each week. 


 


The work on the Shrine has much improved this part of the Cathedral:  however, the effect has been achieved by surprisingly simple means.  The Shrine platform has been cleared of all furniture apart from the altar, which has been set back about 18 inches to enhance the feeling of space. The statue of Saint Richard has been re-sited on the south side of the retrochoir, and this is balanced by the re-siting of the famous Saint Richard icon on the north side.  New kneelers and candle stands have been placed a short distance in front of the Shrine. The "Richard" stone, previously laid flat, has been raised and set below the altar with Saint Richard’s name gilded on it.  The surfaces of the altar platform have also been cleaned, revealing the original grey coloured stone which now sits much more comfortably with all the adjacent materials and the huge Anglo-German tapestry which was itself removed for cleaning as part of this project.  New large, and striking, standard candles now frame the altar and the front of the Shrine platform is adorned with two banner crosses.


 


All the new elements, made from cast aluminium, are the work of the artist Jonathan Clarke, the son of Geoffrey Clarke, who was responsible for much earlier metalwork in the Cathedral.  Cast aluminium was chosen as it complements the surrounding limestone and purbeck marble of the Cathedral.


 The refurbishment of the Shrine has generously been made possible by the Bishop Eric Kemp Memorial Fund.  Bishop Eric (Bishop of Chichester 1974 to 2001) died in 2009.  He often said he wished the Shrine could be restored and made more worthy of Sussex’s own Saint: St Richard.


 


The Dean, The Very Reverend Nicholas Frayling said:


 


‘It was wonderful to welcome Bishop Eric’s family and a large number of his friends and associates, to witness his successor, Bishop John Hind, rededicate the Shrine.  This has been an important and very happy collaboration between the Chapter, the Surveyor (Colin Kerr) and the Designer (Jonathan Clarke), and restores the Shrine, for which it has been waiting since 1538!’


 


Richard was Bishop of Chichester from 1245 to 1253 and died at Dover on 3rd April 1253.  In his eight years as a bishop, Richard had become so beloved of the people of Sussex that the Cathedral immediately became an important place of pilgrimage. The people said his name Ricardus stood for ridens (laughing), carus (dear) and dulcis (sweet).  In 1930 an altar was placed here and in 1991 a portion of an authenticated relic, probably of St Richard’s arm, which had been preserved at the abbey of La Lucerne in Normandy, was interred beneath the altar.


 


Chichester Cathedral is open every day and all year with free entry.  For further information please telephone 01243 782595 or visit www.chichestercathedral.org.uk  All are welcome.