Cambridge

While in Cambridge, I had the neat opportunity of visiting the King’s College Chapel on a guided tour, and then returned later to attend the evensong. The architectural beauty of the fan-vaulted ceiling and the vibrant glory of the Flemish-crafted stain glass windows left my mouth wide open in awe. For a chapel, the spectacular structure is huge, and even feels like a small cathedral from the inside.
Despite Oliver Cromwell’s stationing of his army at Cambridge at one point during England’s Civil War, the stained glass windows escaped destruction primarily because of their portrayal of solely Biblical scenes, rather than depictions of saints and angels which were offensive to these Puritanical extremists. Our guide told us today’s cloudy sky allowed us to see the true colors of the gorgeous stained glass. The altar piece is quite different than those of other churches I have visited. It was simply a long table covered with a historically significant cloth and had two simple candles upon it. On a panel behind it is Ruben’s “Adoration of the Magi,’ an absolutely beautiful masterpiece that really added to the gentle beauty and peaceful splendor of the atmosphere.
The evensong was a very enjoyable experience. I sat in the quire, and followed the service along in the hymnal, anthem, and service books in front of me. The choir consisted of sixteen young boys, ages seven to eleven, who are educated and trained according to age-ole tradition, as well as sixteen young men, possibly about sixteen to twenty years old. Their voices are absolutely remarkable. I looked up at the magnificent ceiling, took a deep breath, and smiled despite myself as the phenomenal acoustics allowed the rich, glorious singing to resonate in my ears as it traversed my being from head to toe.
After a series of hymns and prayers by the minister and responsorial chair, one of the little boys read from the Old Testament, from the respective side of the lectern. Following an anthem and more singing, a minister performed a New Testament reading, but from the other side of the lectern. Amidst the concluding singing and prayers, where in the minister asked for a particular blessing on their director’s wife’s new baby as well as the soul of one of the college dean’s, whose funeral was today, the congregation turned to face the altar and repeats a statement of beliefs. The service concludes with the minister’s blessing and the organ provides the cue that the choir and then congregation may exit. Throughout the service, the congregation was to stand during the singing, and sit during the reading. The overall experience was very neat. It was hard to rip away my eyes from the beautiful chapel upon exiting.