The Blitz

This quite knowledgeable gentleman explained how Norwich came to be on Germany's hit list during the Blitz of 1942 and how the Julian chapel suffered almost complete destruction as a result.

Holy Mother of Wisdom

Holy Mother of Wisdom by Caroline Mackenzie in the Julian Shrine's gift shop and information center.

Cloth of Kindness

I think many of us could use a cloth of kindness today.

Bird Feeder?

This one most certainly puzzled me. Attached to a wall near the Julian Shrine, I can only imagine the cylinders are used to old various kinds of bird seed. But that still leaves me to question the purpose of that vertical slit.

All Shall Be Well

 

 

The Julian Shrine 

Norwich, England

Dame Julian

Paperplant

The Julian Shrine, Norwich

Hazelnut

 

The Julian Shrine

Norwich, England

Chapel Votive

Sometimes it's the smallest details that inspire. Like this votive candle. Such a common thing to see in a chapel. But to cradle it in such a beautifully wrought hanger yields something truly special. I can't help but think that Julian herself would have been most pleased.

Julian Madonna & Child

 

 

The Julian Shrine

Norwich, England

Enough

 

The Julian Shrine 

Norwich, England

Cell

 

 

"In 14th century Norwich a young woman fell under a life-threatening illness, during which she experienced a series of extraordinary visions. These revelations transformed her life, and after a miraculous recovery she took vows to live as an anchoress, locking herself away in a small cell attached to a church in Norwich" -- The Julian Shrine

Ecce

 

 

I'm always interested in the use of candles, especially in sacred spaces, such as here in the St. Julian Chapel in Norwich. If I saw these correctly, they're shorter, say 6", candles mounted atop tapered holders. According to some sources, the six candles placed on the altar in the traditional Latin Mass represent the ancient Jewish symbol, the Menorah, but with the seventh candle, the central candle, being replaced by the sacrifice of Christ.

Chapel

 

 

St. Julian's Chapel in Norwich is open each day of the week for worshippers and visitors as a place of prayer. The Mass is held on Sunday mornings.

 

 

St.Julian's Font

 

 

The octagonal baptismal font in the St. Julian's Chapel in Norwich, according to Wikipedia, is "a replacement for the original one, which was lost when the church was bombed. The current font was moved from the now redundant All Saints' Church, Norwich in 1977. It has eight standing figures representing the Apostles, Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint George, and two other saints."

 

St. Julian's

 

"St Julian's is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Norwich, England. It is part of the Diocese of Norwich. During the Middle Ages, when the city was prosperous and possibly the second largest city in medieval England, the anchoress Julian of Norwich lived in a cell attached to the church. The cell was demolished during the 1530s.

Due to a lack of funds, the church slowly became dilapidated during the 18th century. It underwent a restoration after one side of the building collapsed in 1845. The tower, also in danger of collapsing, was repaired in 1934. In June 1942, St Julian's received a direct hit during the Norwich Blitz. The only one of the four churches destroyed in Norwich during World War II that was rebuilt, it reopened in 1953." -- Wikipedia

Signs

So, while in Norwich, I took a few moments to trundle on over to visit the Julian Centre. Genuinely appreciated the city's street signs and maps. As an added bonus, I even found a SIM card tool lying on the street nearby, which I later found quite necessary to remove the card I used while in England and to reinsert my old card once back here in the U.S. :-)

Paddington Bear

Apparently, Paddington Bear is all the rage in England. I spotted this one late one night through the window of a Norwich shop.

Cloister

 

 In the days of the Benedictine Priory at Norwich Cathedral, the vaulted walkways of the cloister linked the church, chapter house and the original library, hostry (lodging house) and refectory. Today they connect the 900-year-old cathedral with the modern-day refectory, hostry and library.

Mechanical Hand

So one of the unique features of the organ at Norwich Cathedral, historically, is that there was no direct means of communication between the organist and choir director. So a mechanical hand was installed to let the director know at what tempo the organist would be playing a particular piece. The hand is still there, but, of course, the organist now can at least see the director by way of a video screen.

Harrison & Harrison Organ

"Norwich Cathedral has one of the largest pipe organs in the country, with the organ featuring an incredible 5,767 pipes that range from 32 feet to just an inch long.

 

In November 2023, the organ was reinaugurated after a complete rebuild by Harrison and Harrison of Durham and is now considered one of the finest instruments of its kind in the country." -- Norwich Cathedral

Song of Mary

One of the pieces we sang at evensong in Norwich Cathedral was a setting of the Magnificat:

He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Despenser Reredos

 

 

There is an extraordinary story behind this altar in the St. Luke's Chapel at Norwich Cathedral, which makes me appreciate all the more the work done by the people who restore such artifacts.

Medieval Font

 

 

The font of St Luke's Chapel in Norwich Cathedral is a medieval seven sacrament font and originally came from the lost church of St Mary-in-the-Marsh, which once stood inside the Cathedral Close.

Peace

Norwich Cathedral

Reminds me of an anthem I'm practicing for this coming Sunday's eucharist, a setting of Psalm 122:6 composed by Herbert Howells.

IX

Norwich Cathedral

"The IX monogram or XI monogram is a type of early Christian monogram looking like the spokes of a wheel, sometimes within a circle.

The IX monogram is formed by the combination of the letter 'I' or Iota for Iesous (Ιησους, Jesus in Greek) and 'X' or Chi for Christos (Χριστος, Christ in Greek). The spokes can also be standalone, without the circle. These monograms can often be found as ancient burial inscriptions." -- Wikipedia

Roll

Spotted this wonderfully illuminated manuscript in a chapel at the east end of Norwich Cathedral.

Whelan

"Norwich Cathedral in Norfolk England commissioned Whelan to paint 14 panels of the spiritual life and death of International Red Cross nurse Edith Cavell in 2014. The panels on which the scenes of The Passion of Edith Cavell were painted, were first exhibited at Washington National Cathedral in the US to mark 100 years since the beginning of WW1.

'Execution of Edith Cavell' one of 14 paintings by Brian Whelan commissioned by Norwich Cathedral

The paintings later in the following year traveled to Brussels Roman Catholic Cathedral and Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (close to Schaerbeek, where Edith Cavell was executed) before continuing its journey to Norfolk for permanent installation of the 14 panels at Norwich Cathedral to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Cavell's execution, in October 2015." -- Wikipedia

Treasury

Wandering around the cathedral, I stumbled upon this inviting staircase (above). Note the use of a rope rather than handrails. A nice medieval touch, if maybe not up to current building codes. :-)

Upstairs were cases of "church plate" from churches around Norwich. 

Going down was actually a bit more challenging than coming up, especially for people with big feet like mine. :-)

Sunny Skies

I did actually get to spend some time outdoors in Norwich, even though most of my time was spent inside the cathedral (above) either rehearsing or performing evensong. The weather was quite pleasant--at least for that region of England and for the short time I was there :-)

 

Once again joining Skywatch Friday.

Low Altar

Norwich Cathedral

Global Concern

Norwich Cathedral

Art Glass

 

 

Among the first things to catch my eye at Norwich Cathedral were these windows. Interesting contrast in styles and subjects, don't you think?

 

"The medieval stained glass windows in the cathedral, which was largely destroyed during the English Reformation, sustained further damage during the English Civil War. The glass in the west window [shown below] was designed by George Hedgeland, and was installed in 1854." -- Wikipedia

Norwich Cathedral

Back now in the States after my choir tour of England. First singing engagement was evensong at Norwich Cathedral. Found the map above to be helpful in navigating my way around the place. I first entered the complex through that gate shown at the bottom and in the center just left of the tower.

Local Art

Flying out of Dulles two weeks ago, 

I spotted this display of art works created by local high school students. 

Quite striking, I thought.

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

And our last service before leaving for Great Britain Tuesday. Last minute instructions, too. 

Be sure to pack your music and vestments in your carry on luggage. 

Make sure you've got ALL your music. 

Make sure you've got your passport.

Chartered bus leaves for Dulles International promptly at 12:45 p.m. Be there!

Practice

Yeah, posting rather late, I know. But I've either been practicing on my own today or rehearsing with the choir this afternoon, all afternoon. By the way, I just learned that they'll be live-streaming the choral evensong at Norwich Cathedral late Thursday afternoon (GMT) and that the service will still be available to download for several days afterward, in case anyone is interested. We'll also be singing for services in Ripon, Ely and Cambridge.

Wonky

Yeah, so things are beginning to get a little wonky here as I prepare to take off (literally) early next week for Great Britain. Just got a bucketload of new music from the king's land, including the addition of an unexpected evensong engagement at Norwich Cathedral. So, if my posts seem a tad irregular lately, it's because I'm cramming to learn the new music, including the Anglican chant below. I basically have to memorize the latter before I leave. By the way, Psalm 102 has 28 verses! And all of it is in British English, some of which sounds p-r-e-t-t-y funny to our American ears. :-)