The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, has formally dedicated a stained glass window commissioned for LSE’s Faith Centre.
The window, entitled ‘The Desert’ was designed by the President of the Royal Academy, Christopher Le Brun, to reflect the ancient tradition of the desert as a symbol of spiritual significance in the world religions.
LSE Chaplain, the Revd Dr James Walters, said:
"The stained glass window reflects the image of the desert as a place of profound religious intensity, from the ancient Hindu traditions to the origins of the Judeo-Christian faith at Sinai.
"The desert has been a place of inter-religious encounter, not least through commerce along trade routes. So this window represents how the LSE Faith Centre is a place of stillness for all people, where different religious groups can ‘set up camp’ for a while, but also a place to encounter people of other faiths, to hear their stories and to share hospitality."
The Faith Centre is a state of the art multi-faith facility used for worship, prayer, interfaith discussion and hospitality by the diverse student body at LSE. The work of this innovative centre is of particular importance as graduates from LSE go on to be future leaders in business and government, and the tolerance and understanding fostered at the centre could make a major contribution to future peace.
The window was manufactured in Germany by Glasmalerei Peters and overseen by glass specialist Andrew Moor.
Its creator, Christopher Le Brun, is a renowned painter, sculptor and printmaker, who studied at the Slade School of Art and Chelsea School of Art, and has taught and lectured extensively in art schools around the country. He has been President of the Royal Academy since 2011.
The installation was made possible by a £25,000 gift from the parents of an LSE alumnus, Mburu Kiereini, who died in August 2010. A substantial grant was also received from the LSE Annual Fund along with a range of individual donations.
For more details about the production of ‘The Desert’ visit www.lse.ac.uk.
