Christian Martyrdom in the Twentieth Century

In 1997, Westminster Abbey commissioned the creation of ten statues depicting modern Christian martyrs who had lived and died in different parts of the world.

The hope was to define the twentieth century Christian experience. Today, these statues stand in niches above the West Door of the abbey, and every visitor to the church passes beneath them as they make their way inside. This book tells the stories of these ten men and women who, because of the force of their convictions, chose to face danger and death.

Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Russia; Manche Masemola, South Africa; Lucian Taipedi, Papua New Guinea; Maximilian Kolbe, Poland; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Germany; Esther John, Pakistan; Wang Zhiming Miao, China; Martin Luther King, USA; Archbishop Oscar Romero, El Salvador -- these remarkable men and women died for their beliefs. These essays pay tribute to them and share what can be learned from the lives and deaths of those courageous enough to walk the way of the cross today.