Modern Martyrs

The ten stone figures standing above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey were meant to be there for centuries before they actually arrived. When the abbey facade was completed in the fifteenth century, architects built ten gothic niches specifically to hold statuary. These spaces remained empty for over five hundred years, serving as architectural placeholders until a major restoration project in the nineteen nineties finally filled them. The selection of these ten figures broke with the tradition of memorializing monarchs or ancient saints. Instead, the abbey chose to honor individuals from the twentieth century who gave their lives for their beliefs. Unveiled in nineteen ninety eight, the statues represent a diverse range of people from every continent, including figures as recognizable as Martin Luther King Junior and others like the teenage South African girl Manche Masemola, who was killed by her own parents for her commitment to her faith. The statues were carved from French Richemont limestone by a team of four sculptors guided by designer Tim Crawley. By placing these modern individuals in a facade built during the Middle Ages, the abbey created a physical bridge between the distant past and the recent history of religious persecution. These figures now stand permanently above four allegorical statues representing truth, justice, mercy, and peace, completing a decorative vision that architects began half a millennium ago.