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in which Christ manifests His
presence to us in th e Sacra-
ment. The liturgy, speci?cally
through the epiclesis, re-enacts
the Annunciation, and the icons
interpret these actions to the
worshippers. Indeed, this train
of thought need not be limited
only to the liturgy, but to any-
thing that takes place in this
space whether it be concerts,
plays, lectures or any other kind
of creative activity. Here the
conversation created by the
space between the icons is al-
ways a place where the Holy
Spirit can descend to make
Christ present among us.

There was much discus-
sion of exactly what kind of
Annunciation image this should
be. The careful thought that has
gone into the design of these
icons is very evident in their
appropriateness for their set-
ting. To begin with, Aidan Hart
took western Romanesque im-
ages from the 12th century Bury
St Edmund’s Bible as his inspiration, thereby rooting these icons in a distinctly
British idiom. Both Gabriel and Our Lady are depicted in shades of red and
green that are used throughout the rest of the church interior. Both ?gures
stand upon the distinctive terracotta tiles that decorate the Sanctuary to re-
mind us that ‘the Annunciation is happening now, in this building’. Perhaps
most strikingly of all, although Our Lady is framed by the traditional Temple, it
is surmounted by the even more distinctive cupola bell-tower and Queen Anne
window-frames of the church. At the same time as maintaining the integrity of
the icon tradition, the icons combine many local elements that give them a
speci?c identity and meaning in this particular place. These are icons about the

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