''Christ Child'', also known as ''In the Beginning'' or the Millennium Sculpture,
is an outdoor sculpture by Michael "Mike" Chapman, located under the portico of
St Martins-in-the-Fields at
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...
in London, United Kingdom. The opening text from the
Gospel of John
The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
is inscribed around the sculpture: "In the beginning was the word and the word became flesh and lived among us".
[ Chapman has said of the sculpture: "For the millennium I was commissioned to produce a sculpture to be placed in Trafalgar square, during Christmas prior to the celebrations. It seemed to me that a tiny life-size baby carved from stone in such an enormous environment would be the best way to remind us all of just whose birthday we were celebrating. In a 4.5 tonne block of Portland stone, this work can be found at the entrance to the church." It has been called "strikingly modern".]
See also
* 1999 in art
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline, In the Beginning (sculpture), ''In the Beginning'' (sculpture)
1999 sculptures
Limestone sculptures in the United Kingdom
Monuments and memorials in London
Nude sculptures in the United Kingdom
Outdoor sculptures in London
Sculptures of children in London
Statues of the infant Jesus
Trafalgar Square