St John the Baptist - St John's Wood Church, Lord's Roundabout, St John's Wood, London, UK
N 51° 31.836 W 000° 10.085
30U E 696421 N 5712634
This statue is situated to the north east of St John's Wood church which is also known as St John the Baptist church.
Waymark Code: WMF034
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/31/2012
Views: 4
The slightly
larger than life-size statue shows John the Baptist standing, perhaps in a
walking stance. His right hand is raised, with forefinger pointed upwrads and
his left hand is held away from his body at waist level. He is bare footed and
has a cloth wrapped around his waist. Over his left shoulder he
has a cloak or something similar.
The church website (visit link) mentions the
bronze statue on its history page:
"The statue of St John the Baptist in the forecourt of
the church is by Hans Feibusch and was erected to mark the completion of the
building of the new hall in 1977."
Hans Feibush's website (visit link) tells
us:
"... Later in 1970 he suffered cataracts in both eyes.
His operation was a success, though his eyes were covered, for over six weeks.
Feeling frustrated he went to a local sculpture class. This was the start of
many commissions for portrait busts and figures from mythology and the Bible.
Some of his commissions during the 1970`s included a seven foot figure of St.
John the Baptist at St. John’s Wood Church and sculptures of Christ at Ely
Cathedral and St. Albans the Martyr, Holborn in 1985. ..."
The Catholic onLine website (visit link)
tells us about John the Baptist:
"John the Baptist was the son of Zachary, a priest of
the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary who visited her. He
was probably born at Ain-Karim southwest of Jerusalem after the Angel Gabriel
had told Zachary that his wife would bear a child even though she was an old
woman. He lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until about A.D. 27. When he
was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of
the times and called men to penance and baptism "for the Kingdom of Heaven is
close at hand". He attracted large crowds, and when Christ came to him, John
recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, "It is I who need
baptism from You". When Christ left to preach in Galilee, John continued
preaching in the Jordan valley. Fearful of his great power with the people,
Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, had him arrested and imprisoned at
Machaerus Fortress on the Dead Sea when John denounced his adultrous and
incestuous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half brother Philip. John was
beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head
at the instigation of her mother. John inspired many of his followers to follow
Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who
came to know Christ through John's preaching. John is presented in the New
Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the
Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August
29th."