A REPLACEMENT for a missing statue of the Virgin Mary is about to be installed at Durham Cathedral.
The glass sculpture, by Durham artist Goshka Bialek, will be placed at the centre of Neville's Screen, behind the cathedral's High Altar, on Monday, where visitors can see it until April 20.
One hundred and seven statues originally decorated the screen, but many, such as the original statue of the Virgin Mary, went missing during the Reformation.
Ms Bialek received £2,000 from Northern Arts to research and construct a replacement.
She said: "I've always been interested in history, old buildings, and the people who built them.
"I use glass because it's like air in which prints of someone's life have been left."
James Bustard, of Northern Arts, said: "Northern Arts was pleased to enable Goshka to realise her idea, which imaginatively links sculpture with history, archaeology and restoration.
"While it's not pretending to be an archaeological reconstruction, the glass form will suggest what the original figure might have looked like."
The Dean of Durham, the Very Reverend John Arnold, said: "I welcome the visit of this imaginative piece of glass sculpture, which continues our tradition of support for arts and craft."
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