As part of the Chancellor’s annual Autumn Lectures, this year’s series explores the rich interplay between art and faith.
Visual art can be challenging, threatening, and revolutionary. When people no longer have (or never had) faith in a work of art or art's value in Christian life, this shows us how radical and powerful art has always been. Iconoclasm reveals why art matters.
By reflecting on controversies in Christian art, this talk led by the Rev'd Dr Ayla Lepine will explore how destroying, defacing, and even hating art is a story Christians share.
Spaces on the Chancellor's Autumn Lectures cost £10.00 per person (including a glass of wine and soft drink).
About the speaker
The Rev'd Dr Ayla Lepine joined St James’s Piccadilly as Associate Rector in July 2022. Originally from Canada, she moved to the UK in 2003 to study theology and art history. Following her PhD in Victorian sacred architecture at the Courtauld Institute of Art, she held fellowships and lectureships at Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, the Courtauld, and the National Gallery. She was ordained in 2018 and her curacy was at Hampstead Parish Church.
Ayla’s approach to ministry focuses deeply on belonging, beauty, and social justice. As a parish priest, her vocation bridges theology and the arts, ranging from exhibitions and podcasts to academic engagement and interfaith community-building. Her publications include multi-author projects for the journal British Art Studies and Tate’s ‘In Focus’ series, as well as books including Modern Architecture and Religious Communities. She is a trustee of the UK charity Art and Christianity, a Visiting Scholar at Sarum College and St Augustine’s College, and a member of the St Paul’s Cathedral Visual Arts Committee. Ayla is also a member of the Church of England’s Contested Heritage Committee and a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London.
Her book, Women, Art, God, has recently been published by SCM Press.
The programme on each evening will be:
- 6.30pm: Arrival and drinks (optional)
- 7.00pm: Lecture
- 7.45pm: Questions/discussion
- 8.30pm: Finish
About the venue
With its roots dating back to 1397, this splendid hall holds centuries of stories and has witnessed the likes of Keats during his stay in Chichester.
- Finding Vicars' Hall: Vicars’ Hall is within the Chichester Cathedral precinct. Public access is via the Cathedral Green, not directly from South Street. Enter from West Street, cross the Cathedral Green, and follow signage for Vicars’ Hall. It is a short walk (about 5–10 minutes) from Chichester railway station through the city centre. There is no on-site parking. Nearby public car parks include Little London, Cawley Priory, and Baffins Lane. The what3words location for the Cathedral Green entrance to Vicars’ Hall is: ///pretty.needed.chill.
- Access:Vicars’ Hall is on the first floor, and it is split across three levels (see floor plan). The lower area of the hall and toilets are accessible to wheelchair users throughout the event.