Our poet Paul Allchin has visited the ancient and atmospheric church of St Mary Aldermary in the City of London, where prayers mutter in the masonry. Day 608 of the daily poems.
Sacred journey
St Mary Aldermary Church, City of London
As I walked through the church door,
I felt a spiritual hug. A warm atmosphere
embraced its visitors:
a feeling of homecoming.
This sacred space instantly spoke of
safety, sanctuary and angelic spirits –
where love, kindness, and charity
glided around the nave and aisles.
A place where centuries of devoted parishioners
left their prayers muttering in the masonry,
where past monastic reverence is intertwined
with the clatter of cups and whoosh of steam.
Has this café, wafting its aromas of specialist
coffee blurred the boundaries between the sacred
and secular? Or have tradition and modernity
clasped hands with each other?
City workers and tourists sit at tables, even spill
over onto the pews, drinking tea, coffee, eat
sandwiches, cake, entranced eyes fixated
upon their laptop screens.
The Victorian Gothic refurbishments on this
ancient Christian site add architectural clothes
to this sacred space. Fan-vaulted ceilings
capture one’s eyes …
circular shapes swirl and uplift one’s heart with organic contours
that speak of artistry and opulence.
Contemporary stained-glass windows stream
rainbow rays of light through this hallowed space –
illuminating images of historical and biblical meaning, a focal point
where we discover tradition, community, faith and modernitycreating a sense of the sacred within ourselves.
Paul Allchin