Virgin and Child - St. Mary's Church, Ambleside
N 54° 25.850 W 002° 57.999
30U E 502163 N 6031458
Josefina de Vasconcellos created many Mother and Child statues. They are all different as she liked to make them all personalised. The church is open daily for free. People are welcome as long as there is no service occurring.
Waymark Code: WM9QWH
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/21/2010
Views: 8
This statue is locally called "In Him was Life", and is a depiction of the Virgin Mother and her baby from Christian belief. Mary is holding the baby aloft and the child is smiling. St Mary's church is open every day for worship and visitors. In 2010 a new wooden floor was laid and wooden chairs have replaced the wooden pews. Some wooden pews are still in the Lady Chapel on north side of the church.
This statue is currently (2010) in a window on south side of the church, furthest from the main entrance. And was carved in 1987.
The virgin mother and child are an easily approachable topic, yet people interpret their likeness in many ways. The artist, Josefina, was raised an atheist by her Catholic father and Quaker mother. Only escaping their agnosticism by marrying lay preacher, Delmar Banner.
There are similar Josefina statues in Carlisle Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral, London, St Valerie de Varaingeville Church, France, St. Martins in the Fields, London, Epping Church, and Blackburn Cathedral.
Coordinates are for main door.
Wikipedia about Josefina de Vasconcellos (
visit link)