Sister Wendy on the Art of Christmas
<DIV>Sister Wendy Beckett is an English hermit. An art expert, in the 1990s she presented a series of BBC documentaries in which she reflected on the meaning of various works of art from throughout history.Beckett entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1946 and graduated from Oxford University in 1953, but in 1970, she obtained papal permission to leave her congregation and become a consecrated virgin. Her former congregation arranged for her to live under the protection of the Carmelite nuns at their monastery at Quidenham, Norfolk, in the east of England. There she leads a contemplative lifestyle, dedicating her life solely to solitude and prayer, but allotting two hours of work per day to earn her living.</div>