Our reputation as church furniture makers has led to an exciting project for an Anglican monastery in Mirfield to design a Paschal Candle Stand.
The Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield had heard about our work with Wakefield Cathedral and Christ the King Church and commissioned us to design and make the piece.
What is a Paschal Candle?
A Paschal candle plays an important role in traditional Christian worship throughout the Paschal (Easter) season and the white ceremonial candle is then used for baptisms, funerals and other occasions during the rest of the year. Its flame symbolizes Christ’s eternal presence.
Christian communities around the world traditionally use a tall stand to display the candle and, although many churches now use smaller stands, the brothers in Mirfield wanted to stay as close as possible to tradition.
Our Paschal Candle Stand design
Our striking design is a majestic 2.5 metre high tree-like spiral that tapers to its middle before gently expanding out to its summit where a large anodized aluminium candle dish supports the candle. It is made of solid oak and has a floor diameter of nearly 50cms. Concealed castors make it easy to move.
We are always mindful that our church furniture designs need to be practical and the stand can therefore be split in two to allow it to be moved easily. This also means it can be reduced to a smaller size after the Easter season for regular use.
The construction presented a number of challenges and has taken a great deal of thought and planning, particularly as it is crafted out of solid oak. We used computer technology to define and cut the complex geometry of 45 individually sculpted oak components and then brought them together like a giant jigsaw.
The design is deceptively simple with a triple helix and gentle geometric shape. It is strongly contemporary but with the spiral giving a firm nod to tradition.