Visitors to Emmaus Mossley will see a colourful new addition to our walls, courtesy of street artist Russ Meehan, aka Qubek.
Qubek is a Manchester-based graffiti artist and muralist, famed for his colourful street art on buildings across the city. His past projects include The 22 Bees Mural, created as a tribute to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.
Our new mural, commissioned by Emmaus UK, depicts Emmaus founder Abbé Pierre surrounded by splashes of colour and a dove. The spray-painted artwork can be found in our books area and celebrates the vibrancy of the Emmaus movement in the 21st century.
The birth of Emmaus
Emmaus’ story began in France at the end of the 1940s. While the country was trying to grapple with the fallout from the war and homeless people in their thousands, Abbé Pierre bought a house in Neuilly-Plaisance and took a stand against poor housing. Working with dozens of men and women, they created the first Emmaus community together.
Emmaus communities opened across France and Abbé Pierre became an international figure, travelling the world to promote Emmaus. This led to new communities being set up on four continents. The Emmaus movement today includes more than 400 groups across 41 countries.
Check out a timelapse of Qubek creating our new Abbé Pierre mural…
Read more about Abbé Pierre’s life and legacy
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