A MEMORIAL was being unveiled at Oxford's University Church of St Mary the Virgin today to commemorate Catholic and Protestant martyrs of the Reformation period.
The memorial was designed by Woodstock sculptor Martin Jennings, widely praised for his recent statue of Sir John Betjeman in St Pancras Station.
All the martyrs commemorated are associated with the city or Oxfordshire and it has been placed in a prominent position on the north side of the nave in St Mary's.
It was being unveiled today by Lord Patten, the chancellor of Oxford University.
The ceremony was followed by a service addressed by church historian Prof Diarmaid MacCulloch. The Most Rev Timothy Radcliffe and the Rev David Cooper, minister of Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, Oxford, also participated.
The project is sponsored by Prof MacCulloch, a fellow of St Cross College, and by Rev Professor John Morrill, Prof of British and Irish history at Cambridge.
The names of the martyrs are inscribed on slate framed by Portland stone with a crown and palm-fronds cast in bronze.
The memorial simply lists the names of 23 men, each name preceded by the year in which he was put to death.
Prof MacCulloch said the intention of the monument was to reconcile rather than emphasise and celebrate separation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article