In a manner of speaking, you find yourself standing here between the two great sacraments of Christianity – Baptism and Eucharist. The font in front of you, dating from the early 1300s, is one of our cathedral’s oldest artefacts. The 1980s altar, where we celebrate the Eucharist – Holy Communion, is one of our most modern.
Let’s start with the font. It has been in our church since the 14th century. Just imagine how many people have been baptised into the Christian faith and welcomed into God’s great family in this font! We do not know who performed the beautiful bronze work, but the style suggests it has been made by a Swedish or possibly German artist.
When comparing it with more modern fonts, you may be surprised by the depth. The reason is that before the reformation it was common to dip children entirely in the water. Today, the priest pours a little water on the baby’s head
If you look carefully at the font, you may notice four rows of strange characters. This is a text in capital letters reproducing the prayer of Ave Maria in Latin. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. Blessed is your fruit of thy womb
Also, look at the tall bronze figures that decorate the legs of the baptismal font. Some visitors asks us if they are an example of African sculpture that somehow entered our church during the Middle Ages.
Actually, they are representations of the first humans - Adam and Eve. When examining them closely, you will notice that the female figure has a serpent around her neck and is receiving an apple from the snake.
The altar itself was added during the renovations in the 80s and 90s. The congregation wanted a centrally located altar that would put the priest closer to the congregation.