St Christopher - Allesley Old Road, Coventry, UK
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N 52° 24.790 W 001° 32.978
30U E 598646 N 5807982
A figure of St Christopher bears the Christ Child on his shoulder as he struggles against a storm. Unveiled in 1959. Easily visible from the road outside the school.
Waymark Code: WM5E3J
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/26/2008
Views: 11
St. Christopher (c. 250AD) was a Syrian Christian martyr. According to tradition, he was a man of gigantic stature. His name in Greek (Christophoros) means 'Christ-bearing', which gave rise to the legend that he had carried the Christ-child across a river. He is said to have suffered martyrdom under Emperor Decius (reigned 249--251). He is the patron saint of wayfarers, and now motorists.
The storm causes the cloak of St Christopher to billow and heavy waves to form at his feet. The christ child is shown as naked, and with a halo. St Christopher strides through agitated waves with a billowing cloak held above the water and holding a staff which sprouts oak leaves. An early work by Ritchie, the work clearly shows the influence of Eric Gill with whom Ritchie had studied, particularly in the treatment of the figures and in the use of low relief.
Ritchie was commissioned to make the sculpture by the Education Committee during the planning stages of the School building. The name of the school was probably inspired by a bequest from Christopher Winser, a young airman, who was killed over Egypt in 1941, and had left a sum of money 'To the city he loved' which his parents contributed towards the work and to whom it is an memorial.
Walter Ritchie the sculptor was born Coventry 27 April 1919 and died Kenilworth, Warwickshire 12 February 1997. Ritchie lived for 57 years in the house to which his family had been evacuated after the bombing of Coventry. He took a holiday once, in 1955, when he went to the Lakes, but never took one again, having been alarmed by the financial insecurity he saw at first hand in his years.
Associated Religion(s): Catholic
Statue Location: St Christopher's School, Allealey Old Road, Coventry.
Entrance Fee: None
Artist: Walter Ritchie
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the statue. A waymarker and/or GPSr is not required to be in the image but it doesn't hurt.