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The Transept, or Crossing
of the church, was the earliest part of the building
to be completed, being opened in 1882. Huge temporary
screens blocked off the site of the future choir
and nave while the congregation looked northward
to what was then the high altar and sanctuary dedicated
to the Blessed Sacrament. This explains the rather
generous proportions of an altar whose elaborate
carvings, gradins, tabernacle and exposition throne
are somewhat out of place in a side chapel.
The eight main panels
of the reredos in finely carved stone represent biblical
events related to the eucharist from the Old and
New Testaments.
In the window above the
altar are depictions of a number of Benedictine saints
who were important figures in the growth of Christianity
in this country (e.g. St Dunstan, St Benet Biscop).
They are depicted in scenes associated in some way
with the Blessed Sacrament.
The major feature of the
transept is nowadays the shrine of St Oliver Plunkett.
He was Archbishop of Armagh and became the last martyr
under the penal laws following the Reformation. He
was executed for being a Roman Catholic priest at
Tyburn, London, in 1681, and his relics are contained
in the gilt-oak casket in the chapel. |
