Sad and tragic. That is the first thing you feel when visiting this chapel. To the left Jesus lies dead in his grave. In the middle Mary holds his dead body in her lap. No greater sorrow than that of a mother who loses her child. And yet this place is full of hope and life. We are in the easternmost part of our Cathedral. This is where the first light of day enters. Here the dawn dispels the darkness. Even the darkness of death is no match for the light. Since 2018 this place has been home to a 2011 piece of art by Catalan artist Javier Pérez. It is called Corona - meaning ‘crown’. The name refers to Jesus’ crown of thorns and therefore has nothing to do with the pandemic that held the world in its grip for several years. Nevertheless, the artwork completely fits in with the experience of fragility and vulnerability, and how this is precisely where a glint of hope may be perceived.
Corona Chapel
She dried her tears, and they did smile
To see her cheeks’ returning glow;
Nor did discern how all the while
That full heart throbbed to overflow.
With that sweet look and lively tone,
And bright eye shining all the day,
They could not guess, at midnight lone
How she would weep the time away.
Corona Chapel
During the 2020 lockdown the Cathedral went viral with a composition by the Cathedral’s choirmaster. He made an adaptation of the song in Dutch We zullen doorgaan (We will go on) to the text of the poem And the people stayed home. The recording with four choir singers took place in front of Javier Pérez’ work Corona. You can listen to this little gem on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.
Corona Chapel
The central sculpture is a Pietà by seventeenth-century Antwerp master Artus Quellinus. Behold Mary’s face, her desperate gaze turned up to heaven. One hand pointing to her deceased son, the other reaching upwards as if to ask: ‘Why? How could this happen?’. It is the outcry of a mother who has lost her child. We all experience pain and sorrow in the same way. When fate strikes, every human is confronted with the same questions. Is there any hope? Or is the silence of the grave the one, unavoidable destiny that awaits us all? The crown of thorns at the front in the chapel clearly references the suffering but the glass exudes more than pain and humiliation. When the sun hits the crown, the radiant light makes it sparkle. This artwork is both invaluable and fragile. As are we all.
