Rochester Cathedral has reopened its doors and is welcoming visitors back this summer with the invitation to rediscover the Cathedral. A free exhibition entitled ‘Faith, Hope & Love’ will focus on the Cathedral’s diverse history, architecture, community and collections.
The Canon Chancellor, Dr Gordon Giles says “It has been a difficult, challenging and painful time for everybody these last eighteen months and so as we open up we want to share a loving welcome, express faith in the future and offer hope as we emerge from the crises that have beset us recently. For many the exhilarating experience of ‘the Moon’ may be the last time they came to the Cathedral, so we want to invite people back to reflect, explore and enjoy the heritage of the last fourteen hundred years, so wonderfully exhibited in our sacred space.”
Scheduled to run throughout August, visitors can explore the length and breadth of the cathedral, opened up with displays highlighting some of the skills and activities which take place there, alongside displays which transport through time to see the interior as it would have looked in the Medieval period.
There will be activities for families and young children, regular tours, and a warm welcome to rediscover the familiar and the new. Family friendly monk themed tours will run weekly. Craft activities and brass rubbing will be scheduled throughout the holidays as well. Prayer stations will be available daily.
Already in place is the Kent Corona Quilt. Made by a local artist, Amber Rose, the quilt contains the names of 88 people lost to Covid-19 in Kent and offers comfort and support to those left to grieve in isolation during lockdowns. Other artworks will join the display, focussed on the Covid-19 pandemic, and visitors can become involved in a project to make a work of art from the ribbons which were tied to the railings during the Easter period.
