Salisbury Cathedral

Tuesday, June 12 I was invited to attend a conference at Salisbury Cathedral, called Sudan 40, celebrating the 40 year relationship between the Anglican Diocese of Salisbury and the Episcopal Church of the Sudan.  The conference was amazingly interesting.  I heard the stories of several Sudanese bishops who had undergone immense hardshipa and persecution.  One of the bishops had lived away from his wife and children for more than 7 years while he persued his theological education.  At one point, for 2+ years during the time when fighting was harshest during their civil war, he was unable to communicate with his family in any way and was left to wonder if they had been killed in the fighting.  Theirs is a testimony of deep faith, making me think often of the martyrs of the early Christian centuries.  Their stories also highlighted for me the safe and secure position of Christians in the United States-our struggles hardly seem like struggles in their light.

The Cathedral is an amazing 13th century structure and I was amazed by its beauty.  The craftsmanship that went into its years long construction and decoration is astounding.  Why don't we do this any more?  Maybe I'm prejudiced by a love of history and all things Gothic and high-church, but I was struck by how often Salisbury Cathedral made me think of the glory of God.

Here are some photos of its exterior:

It's hard to believe that these marvelous statues on the outside of the Cathedral were painstakingly carved by human hands.  Wow!

Here are my photos of the interior.  Often the photo of a particular statue or effigy is followed by the corresponding plaque.

After the conference ended I was priviledged to participate in choral Evensong in the choir stalls of the Cathedral.  Here are some pics of the stall I sat in and the surrounds:

My stall for Evensong

 A little dog-like carving that stared at me all through Evensong

One of the angels in the stalls.

If you look at the photo of my stall during Evensong, just to left and over the back of the stall is where the Bishop of Salisbury sat for the service.

That's all my pics from Salisbury Cathedral.  It was an amazing experience and I hope to return some day and spend more time getting to know all about the building and its history.  If you'd like to find out more about Salisbury Cathedral follow this link:  Salisbury Cathedral.