“The Queens’ antependium” is set up in Roskilde Cathedral
In connection with the 50-year anniversary of HM The Queen’s accession to the throne, the Church Council of Roskilde Parish has chosen to set up “The Queens’ antependium” in Roskilde Cathedral during the period of 28 November 2021 until 31 January 2022.
In 1975, The Queen began an artistic collaboration with her mother, Queen Ingrid, on the creation of a new antependium, which was finished in 1990. The Queens’ antependium was first used in connection with Queen Ingrid’s funeral in 2000 and has since been used for Empress Dagmar’s reburial in 2006. Now, in connection with the 50-year anniversary of HM The Queen’s accession to the throne, the antependium will, for the third time, adorn the Communion table in Roskilde Cathedral.
The Queens’ antependium is a Communion table drape that displays 20 different biblical motifs, including “The Sermon on the Mount” and “The Last Supper”, made by Her Majesty with the embroidery style “petit point” in linen thread. In the middle of the antependium is a mandorla figure which illustrates the Trinity of God, the Son and the Holy Spirit, encircled by Queen Ingrid’s gold-embroidered halo. Most of the biblical motifs are sewn into four blue ribbons that are in line with the Communion table’s decoration, and the gold embroidery for these was also done by Queen Ingrid.
The antependium is made of a piece of hand-woven cloth produced by the weaver John Becker, who for many years was a designer for Georg Jensen Damask, where Becker put out more than 35 different designs. The gold embroidery was designed by Edith Hansen and the installation was done by the organization Selskabet for Kirkelig Kunst.
In connection with the display of The Queens’ antependium, Her Majesty participates in Roskilde Cathedral’s morning service on 28 November 2021 and a following reception.
Antependium
An antependium is a cloth that covers the front of a Communion table in a church. The tradition of antependiums began with the use of expensive tablecloths, which hung down along the sides of the altar. Antependiums have since been decorated with time-consuming, artistic motifs that reflect contemporary textile art and that make the Communion table worthy of the central location in the church.
