The perfect Lent book for art lovers of all ages

Brimming with Sister Wendy Beckett’s irrepressible wisdom and enthusiasm, The Art of Holy Week and Easter is a beautiful Lent book for 2021 exploring the spiritual riches of some of the world’s greatest paintings of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus.

Illustrated in stunning full colour with thirty famous and lesser-known Western masterpieces and presented in a small, easily portable format, this little book is ideal Lent reading for all art lovers.

The Art of Holy Week and Easter offers a chance to hear again the voice of Sister Wendy as she gently leads you into a deeper appreciation of all that these paintings convey to the discerning eye. You’ll gain a fuller and more spiritual understanding of Christian art, and see Holy Week and Easter as never before.

The Bible contains some of the greatest stories and teachings of all time. It is also the inspiration for some of the greatest pictures ever painted. Sister Wendy's Bible Treasury captures some of the Bible's most dramatic scenes and memorable characters, as depicted by artists such as Botticelli, Caravaggio, Degas, Duccio, Durer, El Greco, Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens Rublev, Titian and Van Gogh. From the majesty of Genesis to the mystery of Revelation, Sister Wendy invites you to share her delight in the way these painters have interpreted and depicted the Bible over two thousand years. This beautifully presented volume includes 55 illustrations.

'Sister Wendy's deep and insightful commentaries are utterly unique. You will want this splendid book for yourself but also to give to others.' Delia Smith Hailed by The New York Times in 1997 as 'the most unlikely and famous art critic in the history of television', Sister Wendy Beckett went on to present numerous TV documentaries and published over thirty popular books on art history and appreciation. Shortly before she died in December 2018, and nearly thirty years on from her first book, Sister Wendy was working with SPCK on an anthology of her all-time favourite paintings. The result is this enthralling collection, which will delight her many fans all over the world while also inspiring a new generation of art lovers as they develop their understanding of the depths and subtleties of some of the world's greatest works of art.

The twelfth-century abbot and contemplative known to history as "The Mellifluous Teacher' wrote sermons for the entire Christmas liturgical cycle-from the first Sunday of Advent (four weeks before Christmas) to the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary/Presentation of Christ in the Temple (2 February). As he reflects on the wonder of the Incarnation, he reminds Christians still today that Christmas celebrates the awesome condescension of God-with-us, not a commercial carnival.

Sister Wendy, who has been dedicated to a life of prayer for more than half a century, has always resisted writing a book on the subject. Her reasons mix humility with a conviction that prayer is simple: books about prayer can be a dangerous distraction. Yet, when she does speak about prayer, often in response to the questions of ordinary people, she does so with an eloquence that speaks directly to her hearers in ways that make practical sense. Now, in her older age, Sister Wendy is willing to set down some of what she has learnt over a lifetime in a series of meditations. The format of the book is deliberately non-linear: where prayer is concerned, Sister Wendy says, it is simply a matter of trying to turn to God as honestly as the person you are in the circumstances you find yourself in. Her co-author, David Willcock, who has worked with Sister Wendy for many years producing her television programmes, adds to her text a biographical sketch about being a nun and at the same time one of the art world's most acute and revered commentators and a TV personality. Illustrating this unique book are a dozen pieces of artwork: no book by Sister Wendy would be complete without this dimension.