Baptist Gallery

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, British Baptist preacher, c1890.Artist: Cassell, Petter & Galpin

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, British Baptist preacher, c1890. Spurgeon (1834-1892) preached his first sermon at the age of sixteen, and quickly became known for his oratory skills. People from all walks of life would flock to hear him preach. In 1861 the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Newington opened. This had been specifically built for him, as the halls he preached in could not hold the numbers of people that came to listen. He was minister there until his death. He instigated the establishment of many institutions, such as a pastors college founded at Camberwell in 1856, which transferred to the Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1861; and an orphanage founded in 1867 at Stockwell. A lithograph from The Modern Portrait Gallery, Cassell, Petter and Galpin, London, Paris and New York, c1890

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New Baptist Chapel, Leicester, 1845. Creator: Unknown

New Baptist Chapel, Leicester, 1845. The new Chapel is from the design of Mr. Joseph Hansom, Architect of the Birmingham Town Hall. It is circular in plan, with galleries and the other fittings peculiar to that religious body. The mode in which the light is admitted, though somewhat novel as applied to places of worship, is found to be highly efficient, and to produce a very agreeable effect...The main Chapel will accommodate about 1, 500 persons. There are also a Lecture room and School-room...In the evening, an admirable and appropriate sermon was preached ty Dr. Cox, from the words, "This is none other than the House of God, and this is the gate of Heaven." The Chapel was again full, and, lighted up with gas, presented a brilliant appearance. Upwards of £60 was collected at the close of the service. The total of collections was £760.'. From "Illustrated London News", 1845, Vol VII

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A reliquary of a large part of the skull of St John the Baptist

A reliquary of a large part of the skull of St John the Baptist. The inscription shows that the work is Bulgarian so it may have been a gift to the Byzantine court. Country of Origin: Turkey. Culture: Byzantine. Material Size: Gold & semi-precious stones. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive/ Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul. Location: 11

© Werner Forman Archive / Heritage-Images