A BENEDICTINE nun has brought her artistry and expertise to Bolton.

Sister Petra Clare, a hermit nun who lives in a remote Highland village, has produced an icon which now has pride of place in the chapel at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The icon depicts The Angels of the Glory of God which have particular religious relevance to St Michael and All Angels, to whom the chapel is dedicated.

Sister Clare visited Bolton in September and presented her work to the chaplains who work in the hospital.

Her workshop is in the Highland village of Cannich and the icons which she creates are fast gaining a reputation for their excellence throughout the country.

Every icon is made from scratch, from preparing the wood to transforming it into an image of reverence.

Even the smallest painting can take two weeks to finish and even then the work is not complete. "As an unfinished art form the icon is a sign of the Kingdom yet to come," says Sister Petra Clare.

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