By looking at Truro Cathedral either from inside or out you will see mostly unconsciously all kinds of images and symbols. It is a complete work of art that expresses in its shape and decoration many layers of Christian understanding. The Cathedral typifies most of Christian culture in which seeing has been an important way of believing and understanding. So artists have played an important role in assisting Christianity understand its faith at many levels of experience.”

Canon Philip Lambert is excited about the coming year: “Throughout 2009 the Cathedral will be taking up this theme by inviting artists, those of faith, of some faith and of no faith to respond to scripture and the church’s year in the context of this sacred and artistic space. The piece of scripture will be Ecclesiastes 3 verses 1-13, which describes different experiences within time. The exhibitions will end with some work on “transfiguration”. The works which will be exhibited will be by past and present artists who are either Cornish or who have worked mostly in Cornwall.”

In combination with the exhibitions the Bishop’s Lent lectures this year will be exploring the theme of art and theology and will be called, Faith Seeing Understanding and will be describing the experience of the Christian religion understanding itself in and through art. The four lectures begin at 7.30pm on Wednesday, March 4 and the following three Wednesdays.

In January and February the work exhibited (a painting) will be by Clare Wardman, an abstract artist from St. Ives.