Recently Mike and I went on a short break to Salisbury. We each picked a place to visit. On the Tuesday, we visited Salisbury Cathedral (my choice) and on Wednesday we went to Stonehenge (Mike’s choice).
The Cathedral was pretty awesome. It was a very warm day and Mike and I were glad of the coolness of the building. The staff were very organised and social distancing was not a problem as appointments had to be made and there was a one way system in place.
Of course I took Teddy Teilo (my Pilgrim Bear) and he had his photograph taken – see below.
I loved the 'infinity pool' style font - the modern sitting beautifully within the ancient - the cathedral was built some 800 years ago!
Visiting the Cathedral reminded me of the last Cathedral I visited which was Christchurch, New Zealand. I had gone over to visit my daughter, Alice, in February and was back just before lock down in March.
The old cathedral in Christchurch was damaged in an earth quake in 2011 which was part of a series of earthquakes in the region and which damage to buildings an roads is still evident.
Alice and I looked through the fencing surrounding the old cathedral to see the gaping hole in the church building which is in the city centre.
The following day we visited the Trasitional Cathedral – locally known as the Cardboard Cathedral. The Transitional Cathedral was built within two years of the earthquake by a Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, who designs buildings as part of disaster relief. The building which is like a large apex tent uses the most unlikely materials – yes cardboard, but also wood and metal. The metal being shipping containers along the sides which are utilised for storage, washrooms and a kitchen.
I don’t know what I expected, but I was unprepared for my emotional response. I found the visit moving and that ‘thin place’ feeling which is almost tangible in many of our own churches in Wales was apparent in Christchurch.
Visiting the Christchurch Cathedral also reminded me of the visit Mike and I made to Coventry Cathedral a few years ago.
Standing in the ruin of the old Cathedral bombed during the Blitz was also emotional but for different reasons – my grandmother was a volunteer ambulance driver during WWII and was called to drive from Stourbridge in the West Midlands to Coventry (over 30 miles away) quite
a journey at the time!
We visited on Good Friday (2016 – three months before Mike had a heart attack and subsequent stroke) and were most fortunate to hear the choir rehearsing Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion as we made our way around.
Worth waiting for - the perils of technology! I have also visited Salisbury and was mightily impressed. Each Cathedral seems to have their own presence and you feel the weight of the years of prayer! X