Christ Church Cathedral stands on the site of an ancient Saxon Church, founded in the 8th century by St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford. Though nothing now remains of this church, a Saxon cemetery lies under the cathedral cloister, discovered in 1985.

The present building was constructed in the last quarter of the 12th century as the monastery church for a community of Augustinian Canons.

The monastery was called St Frideswide’s Priory, and inside the church stood an ornate shrine on which were kept the relics of the saint. Pilgrims visited the shrine throughout the Middle Ages, including Catherine of Aragon, who, in 1518, came to pray for the birth of a son.

In 1524, just prior to the General Dissolution of the Monasteries, Cardinal Wolsey gained permission from the Pope to close it down in order to use the land to build a vast new college for the university. He had planned to include a new chapel for his ‘Cardinal’s College’ but died before the building was completed so the old monastery church was retained. When, in 1546, Henry VIII moved the first Bishop of Oxford into the church, he created a unique institution: ‘Christ Church’, for its chapel is also the Cathedral for the Diocese of Oxford.

Today the Cathedral is visited by thousands of people each year who pray, worship or simply enjoy the stillness and the profound sense of history it inspires. The beautiful building is home to a vibrant community with a rich worshipping tradition and a world famous Cathedral Choir. It hosts a wide range of diocesan events, music, art and drama. We are delighted to be a home for the first major exhibition of Peter’s work in Oxford City, and hope you enjoy your visit.

www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral Virgin Adrift Virgin Adrift

Alice

Class Act

Aquarius Aquarius

Salome Salome Salome Salome

MADONNAS AND MAD HATTERS

an exhibition of sculpture byan exhibition of sculpture by

Peter Eugene Ball

The Artist

Peter Eugene Ball was born in Coventry in 1943. He attended Coventry College of Art and in 1961 joined the Marjorie Parr Gallery on the King’s Road in London where he had his first one-man show in 1967. Since that time he has accepted numerous commissions, both secular and religious, and continued to exhibit his work in galleries and exhibitions throughout the UK and across Europe and America. His career now spans more than 50 years.

He is perhaps best known for his religious sculpture and currently has more than 70 major works in churches and cathedrals throughout Britain – almost certainly more than any other living artist. Serene and contemplative, they instantly settle into the ancient spaces in which they are placed and have become a vital part of our religious landscape.

Peter continues to work with a passion and energy which belie his age. He laughs a lot, and curses when things go wrong. His sculpture is still quirky and uncompromising, defying the changing fashions of the art world and remaining true to the spirit of the man.

www.petereball.comwww.petereball.com

Madonnas and Mad Hatters

‘Madonnas and Mad Hatters’ presents the latest collection of both the religious and secular sculpture of Peter Eugene Ball and is the culmination of two years’ work.

Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford provides him with the perfect setting and has also supplied various sources of inspiration, not least the college connection with Charles Dodgson in this the 150th

anniversary year of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. The history surrounding the elaborate shrine of St Frideswide and the beautiful Jonah Window have also prompted his own unique interpretation of these characters. By contrast, the centrepiece of this year’s exhibition is an exquisite Madonna and Child, richly coloured and imbued with the intense devotional aura which can be found in so many of Ball’s major religious works.

Thus, Madonnas and pilgrims, saints and angels take their place in this magnificent setting alongside mad hatters and acrobats, dancers and fools to complete another stunning exhibition by Peter Eugene Ball.

6th – 24thSeptember 2015

Christ Church Cathedral St Aldate’s, Oxford

Free entry via Tom Gate on St Aldate’s

Normal admission times: Daily – 10am to 4.15pm

Sundays – 2pm to 4.15pm

an exhibiton of sculpture by

Peter Eugene Ball

via Tom Gate on St Aldate’s

Sundays – 2pm to 4.15pm