Holy Week and Easter at Salisbury Cathedral

Three crosses and a symbolic tomb will stand amongst an array of Mediterranean plants - rosemary, laurel, olive and santolina – reminiscent of the landscape and story of Jesus.

The man behind the new garden is award-winning designer Andy McIndoe, winner of 25 consecutive Gold Medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the prestigious Veitch Memorial Medal (one of the Royal Horticultural Society’s highest accolades) in 2017. The tomb and wooden crosses have been made in the Cathedral Works Yard.

Canon Kenneth Padley, Canon Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral, who has overseen the construction of the garden, said: "The Dean was keen to bring the Easter story out of the building and share it with visitors to the Close as an invitation to join us for worship and to share this sacred period with us."

The new Easter Garden will stay in place until Pentecost on 28 May, when Christians recall how God’s Holy Spirit was given to the disciples after Jesus’ Ascension.

There will be many opportunities for prayerful reflection over the seven days of Holy Week and Easter, with more than thirty services tracing the story of Christ’s Death and Resurrection, starting on Palm Sunday (2 April) and ending on Easter Day (9 April).

Following the ongoing series of Lent Addresses, in which clergy are currently examining contemporary challenges to the Christian faith, a special Compline on Monday, 3 April at 19.30 combines beautiful plainsong texts dating back to medieval times, with brief addresses from each of the three Cathedral Canons exploring the question “Why I am a Christian”.

The Lent Addresses, entitled simply 46.2% (a reference to a recent report revealing just 46.2% of people in England and Wales describe themselves as Christians), have proved so popular this year that plans to host them in Sarum College had to be changed because there wasn’t room for all those wishing to attend.

The talks have now been moved into the Cathedral’s North Transept, where the next address, led by Canon Kenneth Padley, the Cathedral’s Canon Treasurer, takes place on Monday, 20 March. Canon Kenneth considers Why does bad stuff happen? And asks how, when terrible calamities befall humanity and take the lives of the innocent daily, we can believe in a supreme God?

Some of the most beautiful music sung during Holy Week can be heard at the ancient and dramatic Office of Tenebrae (Latin for “shadows”) on Tuesday, 4 April. During this imaginative processional service which draws upon the Sarum Rite, a form of worship dating back to when Salisbury Cathedral stood at Old Sarum, candles are gradually extinguished until a single light remains, representing Christ. The service features music by Tallis, Howells and many others.

In addition to the services taking place over this period, there is a Holy Week Concert on Wednesday, 5 April, featuring John Stainer’s The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer.

The Crucifixion is a much-loved part of the choral repertoire, an accessible yet dramatic telling of the story of Christ's Passion, including the moving chorus God So Loved the World. David Halls, Director of Music, conducts the full Cathedral Choir in the Spire Crossing with John Challenger, Assistant Director of Music, accompanying on the Father Willis Organ.

Tickets are on sale via the Cathedral website – Adults £15, Children £7.50. Accessible admission is £15, with a free carer ticket.

A Family Easter Trail is available from 25 March-16 April. A fun way for families to explore the Cathedral during the festival of Easter, and on Tuesday, 11 April, from 10.00-14.00, Celebrate Spring offers nature-themed craft activities for all ages. Both are free with general admission.