Mosaic’s future uncertain

The future of a “unique” twentieth-century mosaic of the Crucifixion, created by a leading Viennese artist at a church in Oldham, Lancashire, is uncertain after a proposed reorganisation in the Salford diocese threatened the church with closure.

The 60-year old, 26-foot-high mosaic (detail shown) is part of a series created by Georg Mayer-Marton in the 1950s at the Holy Rosary Church in Fitton Hill.

A Hungarian Jew, Mr Mayer-Marton lived in Vienna where he was well known for his work in oil and watercolour. He was forced to flee the city with his wife in 1938 and moved to England, following Hitler’s annexation of Austria.

Although the artist managed to bring some of his works with him when he left Vienna, most were later destroyed in 1940 when his studio was hit during the London blitz.

Shulamith Behr, honorary research fellow and former lecturer at the Courtauld Institute, said of the mosaic: “It is an extremely powerful rendering of the Crucifixion, the beauty of the natural stone and luminous glass tesserae enhancing the spiritual message of Christ’s suffering for humanity.” Behind the mosaic, there is also a hidden fresco of Mary and St John, which was painted over some 30 years ago, but is thought to be salvageable.

Mayer-Marton’s great nephew Nick Braithwaite said: “While everyone understands the pressures on the Church, it would be a dreadful thing for such a beautiful … artwork to be demolished. We are still hoping the diocese will work with us to find an alternative use for the building.”

Holy Rosary’s parish priest Fr Michael Fleming acknowledged that although the uncertainty was a cause for concern, he was not aware of any plans to demolish the church or the mosaic. “Although no one wants to see churches which have been part of the local community closed, we have to be practical,” he said, citing dwindling congregations and a need to change parish boundaries.