Of Coventry Cathedral

So the University of Warwick, where I am currently attending, is not actually located in Warwick (or anywhere near London for anyone who thinks I am somehow studying in London - hah!). It is actually located between three small towns: Kennilworth, Leamington Spa, and - the biggest of the three - Coventry.

Now, having spent the past two years at UCLA, in the middle of busy, angry, vibrant Los Angeles, and having grown up in Anaheim only 5 minutes away from Disneyland, the thought of being stuck in the middle of green fields and houses (ie: nowhere) does not bode well with me (especially when I'm stuck here without a car).

But, luckily, the International Office at the University are kind enough to arrange various trips for all visiting students. One of them was a two hour tour of Coventry.

A 15 minute coach/bus ride later, we arrived at the 1000 year old city of Coventry (which was also the capital of England for two years during the War of the Roses). My flatmates warned me ahead of time that Coventry was kind of ugly. I wouldn't describe it in that way (I did live in Los Angeles after all) but I would describe it as a bit mismatched since you have hundred year old buildings right next to modern ones. And it is these hundred year old buildings that belie the history and importance of this small town within English history.

A quaint old English house right next to the walls of a shopping center

Getting off the van, we arrived at the Coventry Cathedral, which is actually composed of three cathedrals: the old St. Michael's and the new St. Michael's, and St. Mary's, Coventry's first cathedral which was torn down by Henry VIII and which only a base and few fragments remain.

The old St. Michael's Cathedral was constructed around the 14-15 century ("Still a very young Cathedral" - said our tour guide). If 500 years is young, then the question us Americans have to ask is, "What does that make us?" It also made me notice that America, especially the West Coast seems to lack really old Cathedrals, especially those built with that same hand-made attention to detail. But I guess that's the byproduce of being such a small country, especially one that was built mainly from the powers of industry. This one in particular was bombed during WWII and only a few sandstones remains are left, in which inside, there is a memorial to those who died in the bombing of Hiroshima. The thing I find most amazing about these ruins is how they are pretty much still intact, considering the rainy weather and the crumbly nature of sandstone. Though who knows how long that can last.

The ruins of St. Michael. I adore the Gothic shape of the windows.

The new St. Michael's Cathedral was built in 1962, right next to the old cathedral as a homage. Our tour guide was nice enough to show us around the Cathedral, describing the history and significance of relics within, which includes fun things as a boulder from Bethleham, a very very large tapestry of Christ (said to have a shelf life of 500 years), and the stained glass windows.

The facade of the new St. Michael's Church. The statue on the outside is entitled "Saint Michael and the Devil," in other words, "Evil getting a smack-down."

The stained glass Bapistry Window. 195 different panes of stained glass images which "represents the light of God breaking into the world" - according to the pamphlet,

One thing is for sure, you rarely see this kind of attention to allegorical detail at home, it's almost enough to make one holy. Who would think so much history lies within one town that a lot of people I know have never ever heard of before. I wonder, what other little historical facts lay in this small country that is roughly the size of California? Onward!

Coventry City Center, behind the cathedrals and complete with a naked statue of Lady Godiva, one of the more well-known residents of the city (and who rode through the city naked, it is not as dirty as it sounds, promise).

Britishisms that I learned today:

• A size 6 is the equivalent of a size 2 in the US. Imagine my chagrin when I realize that here, I have become a 6 and not only that, there are not a lot of 6's available. And the same problem that plagues me when shopping in the US plagues me here - ie. I still can't find my size. Even across the Pond, I am still the smallest person I know.
• A 500 year old building is still fairly young.