Enchanting Evensong

Monday, I took our good friend, Ashraf, to Windsor for the afternoon as he had never visited the town or seen the castle. Although this made 3 visits to the castle in the last 11 months for me, I never grow tired of learning more about the castle’s history and the lives of the royal family. I also love watching the reactions of those who have never seen it before as their eyes grow wide at all of the opulence in the rooms with gilded walls and painted ceilings. The size and wealth of each room absolutely amazes me, and I feel as if the life size portraits of the various sovereigns of the past whisper their stories as I stroll by.


After touring the castle, we made our way to St. George’s chapel on Windsor Castle’s grounds. As well as offering a beautiful location for worship, it holds the tombs of many monarchs including Henry VIII and his “favorite wife”, Jane Seymour; Charles I who was overthrown and beheaded during the British civil war; and the current queen’s parents, George VI & Queen Elizabeth the queen mum. A notice sat next to the entrance of the chapel about the evening service to which Ashraf asked if I would like to go. Thrilled that he was interested in staying for it, I naturally said yes.


We sat on one side of the Quire in the stalls for the Knights of the Garter. The Quire, built in the late 1400’s, provided a breathtaking backdrop of gothic pointed arches, colorful crested banners, and brilliant stained glassed windows for the service. Because we attended an evensong service, the choir of men and boys sat directly in front of us or facing us on the other side of the Quire. Their harmonious music filled the chapel as they sang everything from the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles Creed to 2 chapters in Psalms. During one of the songs, a young boy's solo nearly took my breath away as his angelic voice gently floated up to the high notes. Ashraf was as in awe as I and stated that just being a part of this experience was spiritual for him. I couldn’t agree more.