A stone relief sculpture Crucifix on the West Gable of Our Lady, Star of the Sea & St. Maughold Church above Mona Street in Ramsey.
The sculpture was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott (visit link) features a large Crucifix beneath which is craved a paraphrased quotation from the Book of John, verse 32.
The quotation which is in Latin is as follows:
'EGO SI EXALTATUS - FUERO OMNIA TRAHAM'
The Vulgate can be translated as:
'If I be lifted, will draw all men'
The King James Version of the Bible gives the following:
'And I, if I be lifted up from earth, will draw all men unto me.'
Before and after the quotation are sheild bearing the Greek letters 'Alpha' and 'Ogema' from the start and end of the Greek Alphabet when joined together like this in Chritian art and stonework they are used to represent Christ as the beginning and end of all things.
In 'An Introduction to the Architecture of the Isle of Man Isle of Man, Patricia Tutt describes the Scott designed exterior Crucifix as follows:
"...this crucifix bearing the lettering 'ego si exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham' (and I, when I am lifted up from earth, will draw all people unto me', John 12:32, with the words 'a terra' removed'. There is correspondence on the file about the cross on the west gable, on which the carver made an "unfortunate mistake...where two 'omegas' were shown on the shields, instead of an 'alpha' and 'omega' as intended". It was quickly corrected."
The crucifix wsas carved by W.D. and J. H. Gough of London and was installed in 1936.
source: An introduction to the Architecture of the Isle of Man by Patricia Tutt (ISBN 978-1-907945-10-6)
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source: Hidden Histories by Mary-Ann Ochota (ISBN 978-0-7112-3692-9)
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