St Peter’s Cathedral has an array of art and sculptures throughout the building
The Cathedral’s collection includes sculptures in stone, wood and metal dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. There are pieces in both classical and contemporary styles.
Among the most imposing sculptures is the reredos, with its 23 carved and painted panels. When the Lady Chapel was built, the benefactor who paid for its construction, Mrs Priscilla Simms, commissioned Thomas H Lyon, a London architect, to design three elegant stone arches behind the High Altar to support a reredos, made to his design, which would divide the Sanctuary from the apse.
The reredos, which fills the central arch, is 10.4m (34 feet) high and is of solid oak. It was executed by the Herbert Read Company at St Sidwell’s Art Works in Exeter, England, under the supervision of Lyon and his partner Mr Greenslade. Inserted in the main frame are five beautiful panels: the centre one depicts Christ in Glory, and the four below depict scenes from the life and time of St Peter. Around them are eighteen niches containing coloured and gilded Biblical and other figures. All the carving was done by hand by Nathaniel Hitch & Co. of London.
The wooden sculptures on the High Altar Reredos were executed in England and depict people and angels who have been important for some reason to the people of the Church.
The two stone heads on the top of the pillars which mark the ending of the first section that was completed are of Bishop Short, the first Dean of Adelaide and possibly the architect and builder of the first section of the Cathedral.
The Christus Rex hanging below the early South Australian flags and guidons is enamel on copper made by a Czech-Australian Voitre Marek. The Madonna in the Lady chapel, also enamel on copper, was also made by Marek.
