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Holy Door Installation
Northampton Cathedral 2015
Northampton Cathedral 2015
This holy door portal was commissioned by the Diocese of
Northampton and officially opened by Bishop Peter Doyle on
December 8th, 2015. It remained in place for a year in
acknowledgement of Pope Francis' declaration of 2015 - 2016
as a special "Year of Mercy".
The holy door portal at Northampton Cathedral took its
inspiration from the holy door at St Peter's in Rome. The
scale and size of the stone architrave around the doors in
Rome is replicated and constructed in timber and painted
festive liturgical colours of golden yellow (bounty of god),
red (holy spirit) and green (hope). Actual size graphic photos
of the holy doors in Rome line the portal. The original doors
in Rome are made of bronze and it's panels portray scenes of
man's sin and his redemption through God's mercy
The ritual for opening the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome goes back to 1499 when Pope Alexander VI opened
the door on Christmas Eve to inaugurate the Holy Year 1500.
The Holy Door is opened to evoke the concept of
forgiveness. Still today, Holy Year pilgrims enter the basilicas
in Rome through the Holy Door as a sign of their repentance
and recommitment to a life of faith.