St Nicholas Church, Durham

Who we are

• What we believe
• Mission statement
• History
• Incumbents
• Church guide
  • First impressions
  • The rebuilding of 1858
  • The Fish window
  • The Holy Table
  • The lectern
  • The Cross
  • Rumours of life
  • The church registers
  • The fonts
  • The pillars
  • The stained glass windows
  • The quiet chapel
  • The screens
  • The Holy Table in the chapel
  • The chapel organ
  • The Gateway World Shop
  • The statue of St Nicholas
  • What is a Church?
• Staff team
• PCC
• Interns

The Cross

Turn and look up at the glass screen in the Chancel arch at the East end. There you will see a cross in black metal. The cross is a universal Christian symbol which points to the centrality of Christ's death for the Christian faith. This particular design by Ronald Sims, the architect of the 1981 restoration, emphasises the pain and suffering of Christ by means of the brutality of the elongated nails and the crown of thorns. The letters above the cross stand for the Latin inscription Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum - Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.

Paradoxically, the sufferings of Christ are the hope of humanity. They tell of a God who comes into a broken and sinful world, who will not leave it to go its own way but takes into himself its pain and despair. Notice, though, that the architect has designed an empty cross to point to the Risen Christ of Easter who defeated death and is alive for evermore. The empty cross together with the nails and thorns says that Christ's love is stronger than hate and that his life conquers death.

See from his head, his hands, his feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

It may be that you have brought a hard knot of pain or guilt with you into this church. For centuries men and women have found release In layingg their burdens down at the foot of the cross. Pause a moment and hand over all that troubles you to the Christ who died to set you free.