Craigmyle Lecture 2026

How art can lead us to faith and faith can lead us to art

Altarpieces and Christian devotional paintings in the National Gallery’s collection were originally designed to be the focuses of liturgy and prayer, in churches, chapels and in the home. The images fixed themselves in the minds of the devout viewers and served to deepen and confirm their faith. But can they still serve these purposes in our time or have they outgrown them and are they now only relics of past ages and half-remembered beliefs? Can historic works of art still address people’s faith today and, more intriguingly perhaps, can works of faith speak to those of no faith?

Join us for the Catholic Union’s Craigmyle Lecture given by Sir Gabriele Finaldi. The lecture will be Chaired by Baroness Hollins, President of the Catholic Union, and sponsored by Stone King.

There will be time for questions and answers followed by a reception.

The Craigmyle Lecture is the Catholic Union’s annual flagship lecture, giving a platform to a prominent public figure to talk about a matter of importance to Christians and wider society in this country. Lord Craigmyle (Donald) was a former President of the Catholic Union after whom the lecture series is named. Some of the previous speakers have been Dame Rachel de Souza, Baroness Hollins, Lord Bird, Professor Tom Shakespeare, Baroness Scotland, Sir James MacMillan, Field Marshal Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, Sir Rocco Forte and Lord Lemos.

Sir Gabriele Finaldi is Director of the National Gallery. He was formerly Deputy Director for Collections and Research at the Prado Museum, Spain, and has previously been a curator at the National Gallery. A world expert on Italian and Spanish art, he studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London and has written widely and curated many exhibitions.