Ecclesiastical lighting is the term for light fittings made for churches, chapels, cathedrals and other religious buildings. It includes altar candlesticks, pricket candlesticks, processional lights, sanctuary lamps, coronas and chandeliers, wall brackets, lanterns and later gas and electric fittings.
Light has always held symbolic importance in Christian worship, and churches were among the most richly lit buildings of their time. Medieval churches used iron coronas and pricket stands, while Dutch and English brass chandeliers became popular in Protestant churches from the seventeenth century. The Gothic Revival of the nineteenth century brought a great flowering of church metalwork, with firms such as John Hardman and Company of Birmingham working to designs by A.W.N. Pugin and others to produce candlesticks, coronas and gasoliers in brass and gilt metal with pierced tracery, enamel and coloured stones. Many fittings have come onto the market as churches closed or reordered their interiors. Collectors and designers value good casting, original gilding or patination and strong Gothic design. Large church fittings bring drama to halls, stairwells and dining rooms, though they often need professional conversion or rewiring before use in a domestic setting.
