The Language of Sacred Art- Tradition, Theology and the Renewal of Christian Iconography.
The visit of King Charles III to Rome last year, during which he was instituted as a Royal Confrater of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, was followed by a similar diplomatic gesture towards Pope Leo XIV . His Holiness was in fact appointed as Papal Confrater of the College of Saint George at Saint George’s Chapel in Windsor, and with the King donating the Pope an icon of Saint Edward the Confessor. As a gift, Pope Leo donated a mosaic icon of the Christ of Cefalù to the chapel, dedicated today at an Evensong there. This was more than simple diplomatic or ecumenical pleasantries between two monarchs but also two Church leaders, it was also a moment dense of symbolism between some of the oldest institutions in the world, the Holy See and the British Crown, offering an opportunity for reflection on the importance of Christian artistic tradition and its place within worship and the visual identity of the Church. A symbolic element in this was the choice of an image...
