St Mary's Church Madonna and Child - Bradford, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 47.776 W 001° 44.615
30U E 582757 N 5961587
This staue of the Madonna and Child is on the wall of the presbytery near to the entrance of St Mary's church
Waymark Code: WMGJH5
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/12/2013
Views: 1
This Wikipedia article states “Images of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child or Virgin and Child are pictorial or sculptured representations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, either alone, or more frequently, with the infant Jesus. These images are central icons of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianitywhere Mary remains a central artistic topic. No image (in either the Western or the Eastern Church) permeates Christian art as the image of Madonna and Child.
While Mary, the Mother of Jesus, may be referred to as "the Madonna" in other contexts, in art the term is applied specifically to an artwork in which Mary, with or without the infant Jesus, is the focus, and central figure of the picture. Mary and the infant Jesus may be surrounded by adoring angels or worshiping saints. Images that have a narrative content, including those of the many scenes which make up the Life of the Virgin, are not correctly referred to as "Madonnas" but are given a title that reflects the scene such as the Annunciation to Mary.”
In these statues the depiction of the child varies from a small baby in arms to a much older child. In this case Mary and the child are wearing a crown and she is holding a young child approximately 2 years old. The statue is near to the church entrance and the child and Mary are looking at people entering or leaving the church and the child is blessing them with his right hand.
The church was built in 1878 primarily to serve an Irish immigrant population in Bradford. Desclining congregations led to the church closing in 2008.
The church building has been gifted to a homeless charity and there are plans to convert it into a hostel.