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The church: St Paul's Cathedral, London, England.
Denomination: Church of England.
The building: It's hard to describe St Paul's in a few sentences. It must be one of Britain's best known cathedrals, but if you only know the building from pictures of the London skyline then you tend to get the impression that it consists of nothing but a large dome. In fact, the dome is just the centrepiece of a fairly traditional, cross shaped cathedral. The building is currently undergoing a clean-up, and so not seen at its best, with scaffolding obscuring some of the best sides of it, both inside and out. Even with this distraction, the best way to sum up the building is in one word – magnificent.
The church: Probably more than any other congregation, those who worship at St Paul's share their church with tourists from all over the world. The building is, quite rightly, one of the main sights that visitors to London come to see. In spite of this distraction, there is a full programme of worship, with daily morning, lunchtime and evening prayers and a packed programme of Holy Week and Easter worship.The cathedral closes to tourists at 4.00pm, so for an evening service, only worshipers are allowed in. I had to fight my way through a throng of tourists wanting a guided tour and arguing with the stewards to be let in.
The neighbourhood: The cathedral is in the middle of one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. It overlooks the River Thames and is just round the corner from the Old Bailey (courts of law).
The cast: Readings by Rev. Simon Reynolds, Minor Canon and Succentor of St Paul's. Music by the London Haydn Quartet: Catherine Manson, Margaret Faultless, James Boyd and Jonathan Cohen.
Holy Week Meditation: The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour from the Cross, by Franz Josef Haydn.
How full was the building?
We just about filled the choir stalls, which I counted as a little short of 100 people.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
I was handed a service sheet and directed to the choir stalls in a hushed whisper.
Was your pew comfortable?
No, not in the slightest. The pews were designed for a choir who would be on their feet several times throughout a service. They have high vertical backs and a plain, flat bench. They are certainly not suitable to sit on for an hour and a quarter without moving.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
Awed silence. Many of the congregation – including me – were looking round at the lavish decoration of the ceiling and high altar. If you've never been there before, it takes your breath away.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
"It's very good to welcome you this evening to the first of our Holy Week devotions."
What books did the congregation use during the service?
No books, just a folded A4 leaflet with some historical notes on the music and the readings. I had not brought a Bible, and there were none in the pews. This was a shame, as the music is biblically based, and we were given all the references – just nowhere to look them up.
What musical instruments were played?
Two violins, a viola and a cello.
Did anything distract you?
The microphone had a squeaky switch which was picked up by the sound system. What should have been a smooth procession from music to reading and back to music was punctuated with an "EEE-Click" before each reading and and "CREEE-EEE-EEK" at the end.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
It was closer to a concert than a church service. For those who don't know the work, it consists of nine movements – seven sonatas with an introduction and a finale. Each sonata is preceded by the words of Jesus from the cross. To this had been added readings from meditations by John Taylor.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
There was no sermon.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
It would have to be the heavenly music. In fact, one of the sonatas was on exactly this theme: Hodie mecum eris in paradiso – "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise."
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
This is difficult. There is not much to criticise in such a service – apart from what I've already mentioned about the pews and the microphone. Perhaps the positioning of the musicians could have been more carefully chosen from an acoustic point of view. They were right up at the east end of the cathedral in front of the high altar. That gives a really magnificent setting, but the echo from the other end of the building makes it sound like they are playing in a cave. I'm no expert on acoustics, but I'm sure it would have sounded better if they had been sitting elsewhere in the cathedral.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I was asked by a steward if I was waiting for someone, as they wanted to lock the front door.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
There was none.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
10 – If I didn't already commute into London every day of the week, I might be tempted to do it every Sunday.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
It made me feel more than glad that I'm a Christian. It made me thankful for all the generations of Christians who have gone before me and left this legacy of magnificent art in their wake.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
If my buttocks are still numb in a week, I will remember those pews. Otherwise, I'm afraid, it will be the rather impersonal breaking up of the meeting at the end of the service. Each person went their own way, with no sense of shared values or community. A shame to leave such a moving experience on such a cold note.
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