Salisbury Cathedral has commissioned a new stone statue of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu for the West Front of the Cathedral.
Archbishop Tutu (1931-2021) was one of the outstanding Anglicans of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, a fearless leader of his Church and a tireless advocate of justice. He was also a Sarum Canon, having been installed at Salisbury Cathedral in 2008, when he also preached and visited the Cathedral School.
The Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral, the Cathedral’s governing body, would like to honour Archbishop Tutu and acknowledge his links to the Cathedral’s foundation. If approved by the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, his statue will be positioned in a vacant niche on the West Front of the Cathedral, befitting a person of Archbishop Tutu’s global standing.
The proposed statue will join 81 others on the West Front. The oldest date from the early fourteenth century, while the most recent to be commissioned was of Canon Ezra Baya Lawiri in 2007. The new statue is approximately 2 metres high and will be carved from Chicksgrove limestone by local stonecarver and sculptor Jay Battle.
The Very Revd Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, said:
“Salisbury Cathedral treasures its copy of Magna Carta, a landmark attempt to speak truth to the powerful and to call them to account. To honour Archbishop Tutu is to honour a holy and courageous leader whose faith compelled him to speak truth to the powerful and call them to account. We were honoured when he accepted the position of Sarum Canon and visited the Cathedral in 2008.
“Since his death the Chapter have sought a way to pay tribute to his life’s work and celebrate our connection in a visible and lasting way. Commissioning a new statue for the West Front is entirely fitting and will ensure that Archbishop Tutu’s service and example are remembered for many generations to come.”
The decision to approve a new statue resides with the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England. Following initial discussions between the Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral and representatives of the Commission, a formal application will be made in the coming months, and a final decision is anticipated later this year.
