#Story
Coventry Cathedral ‘Father Forgive’
The ruins of St Michaels Cathedral stand for peace and reconciliation. The scars of war are still visible with the outer wall still standing and shards of the original stained-glass window in place in some areas. It is a witness to the destruction of November 1940. A service of remembrance is held annually on 14 November to commemorate those that lost their lives and the city that was torn apart.
On the night of 14 November 1940, Coventry, an industrial city in England, suffered one of the most devastating air raids of the Second World War. Beginning around 19:00, the Luftwaffe launched ‘Operation Moonlight Sonata’, an intense bombing campaign aimed at crippling Britain’s manufacturing capabilities.
515 German bomber aircraft dropped a combination of high explosive bombs, incendiary bombs, and landmines for more than eleven hours. By dawn, much of Coventry’s city centre lay in ruins, including the medieval St Michael’s Cathedral. The 14th-century Gothic landmark was left a burned-out shell. It’s tower and spire still stood, but the roof, nave, and interior furnishings were destroyed, marking a powerful symbol of wartime destruction.
Among those who witnessed the devastation was Provost Richard Howard, the head priest of the cathedral. Howard interpreted the ruins not as a call for vengeance but as a mission for reconciliation.
On the morning after the bombing, he had the words ‘Father Forgive’ inscribed on the charred sanctuary wall, pointedly omitting ‘them’ to emphasise that all humanity shares responsibility for violence and division. Howard also had two of the cathedral’s medieval nails bound into the form of a cross, creating the first ‘Cross of Nails’ which became a global emblem of peace and forgiveness.
Rather than rebuilding the old cathedral exactly as it was, Howard championed the idea of leaving the ruins as a memorial beside a new, modern cathedral. This vision ultimately inspired the construction of Basil Spence’s striking new Coventry Cathedral, consecrated in 1962, with the ruins of St Michael’s preserved as a garden of remembrance.
Howard’s response transformed Coventry from a site of tragedy into an international centre for post-war reconciliation. Through the Community of the Cross of Nails, founded in the cathedral’s aftermath, Coventry forged relationships with former enemy nations, including Germany, promoting dialogue and peace.
The night of 14 November 1940 stands not only as a testament to the destruction of war but also as the beginning of a remarkable ministry of forgiveness led by Howard, whose legacy continues to shape Coventry’s identity as a city of peace.