Coventry Cross of Nails

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A Coventry Cross of Nails is a Christian symbol of peace made from three iron nails. The original cross was formed from large medieval nails found in the ruined Coventry Cathedral after the Coventry Blitz on 14 November 1940. Rev Arthur Philip Wales bound the nails with wire to create a Latin cross and gave it to the Bishop of Coventry. In the ruins, the wall behind the altar bore the words “Father Forgive,” and two charred beams lay crossed in the rubble. The original cross is kept in the new Coventry Cathedral; a replica sits in the old ruins, and the nails are welded into place at the High Altar. In Lent 1962 the cross toured churches in the diocese and then returned to the new cathedral before its consecration.

In 1947 Richard Howard visited Kiel and gave a cross made from medieval nails to St Nikolai; in return he received a stone from Coventry’s ruins.

Since then, hundreds of nail crosses have been given to churches, prisons, schools and other organisations, using medieval nails or modern replicas.

In 1974 the recipients formed the Community of the Cross of Nails, an ecumenical network with more than 200 organisations in 45 countries, committed to peace, justice and reconciliation. It includes many German churches such as Dresden Frauenkirche, the Garrison Church in Potsdam, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and the Chapel of Reconciliation in Berlin, along with groups in the UK and elsewhere. The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation, written by Canon Joseph Poole in 1958, is recited at many places each Friday.

A Coventry Cross of Nails was aboard HMS Coventry (D118) during the Falklands War; the ship was sunk and the cross was later salvaged. It was returned to Coventry Cathedral and kept by the next HMS Coventry (a Type 22 frigate) from 1988 to 2002, before being presented to HMS Diamond (D34), Coventry’s affiliated ship.