Some of the artists involved in this exhibition have taken the opportunity to produce work different from their usual art. Artist Susan Edge, better known for her colourful, rather whimsical and always cheerful naive art, has used a recent photo of the statue of St Benedict and an ancient painting of St Benedict as her source (below) to produce a work (above) that is both old and new. 
The statue is in the entrance cloister of the Abbey, and represents St Benedict in a moment of joyous rapture as he goes to meet God. St Benedict was aware that the moment of his death was approaching, and asked to be taken to his favourite cloister where monks supported him as he awaited death.
Susan has created a younger St Benedict, sharing joy with the doves, the symbol of peace. Doves do often waddle around in this cloister, completely unphased by the thousands of visitors who pass through every year.
(The doves above really did arrive one by one... like me choosing to stay in the shade rather than go out into the sunny grassed area by the statue where they usually congregate).
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