Mounted on the outer wall of Basil Spence's new cathedral, Jacob Epstein's enormous bronze sculpture of St Michael triumphant over a bound and prostrate devil is the first thing you see approaching the cathedral's main entrance from the south. Cast in 1960 and measuring over five metres, it is one of Epstein's largest works and one of the defining images of the building. Michael stands composed and victorious; the devil writhes beneath him, wings furled, face turned in anguish.
Epstein created it specifically for the cathedral commission, and it was among the last major works he completed before his death in 1959 — he died before the cathedral was consecrated, though the sculpture was installed. Even if you find the cathedral's interior too bare for your taste, the Epstein is a powerful piece that rewards a close look. It faces the ruins of the old cathedral, setting up the contrast between destruction and renewal that the whole site embodies.