Photo 1: Chapel of King's College, Cambridge Looking east from
the Cam River. |
King's College (like Eaton) was
founded by Henry the 6th* and his first concern
for both was for their chapels. He went to great lengths to ensure that King's College
Chapel would be without equal in size and beauty. Indeed, no other college chapel in
Cambridge (or Oxford for that matter) comes anywhere close. The guide book says that it
took "five kings, four master masons, and an army of craftsmen over a century to
build King's College Chapel." It is, in fact, a breathtaking sight from any angle,
inside or outside. It is the home of the famous Christmas program of "Nine Lessons
and Carols", and its choir is the origin of the King's Singers vocal group. At the
east end of the Chapel hangs the famous Rubens painting "The Adoration of the
Magi". We went to Cambridge on Sunday specifically
to attempt to attend a service in the church. We learned that if we queued up at the gate
by 6:00pm we could join the public group admitted to the Evensong. It turned out to be the
celebration of the 550th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the chapel by
Henry the 6th. While waiting for almost an hour in the chilly evening, we conversed with a
group of American tourists who were also at the head of the line. Again (as at St.
George's Chapel at Windsor) we got to sit up in the choir stalls because we were at the
head of the queue. |
