Take me to Church (or a chapel)
Two weeks ago, the Netherlands won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Arcade’, performed by Duncan Laurence. This was arguably the best song in the competition, yet the highlight of the final was Madonna’s somewhat pitchy but poignant performance of her classic ‘Like a Prayer’. Released 30 years ago, it remains an iconic song. Sometimes I wonder how it’d feel if Madonna performed ’Like a Prayer’ in a church.
Although (or perhaps because) I am not a religious person, I enjoy going to a church not for religious purposes but for cultural ones. I particularly enjoy listening to music (from classical to country, and from jazz to Greek music) in a church or a chapel, and I’ve recently discovered quite a few places where this is possible.
London. Music. Church.
Wesley’s Chapel is one of the least known and most underrated London landmarks, where I often enjoy a classical music recital. It is a Methodist church, built in the 18th century under the direction of John Wesley, who founded the Methodist movement. The first thing you‘ll notice as you enter the courtyard is the statue of Wesley. There’s also a crypt housing the Museum of Methodism, and John Wesley’s House, located right next to the chapel. The recitals take place every Tuesday at 13.05 and are free to attend. They are also part of my tour ‘a walk and a recital in hip Shoreditch’.
St-Martin-in-the-Fields (off Trafalgar Square) is another church where I frequently enjoy classical music concerts. Most of the concerts there are ticketed, but there are also a few free to attend.
There are, of course, other churches and chapels to enjoy a classical music recital. Union Chapel is not one of them. It is, however, my favorite music venue in London. In September 2018, one of my favorite country artists, Lee Ann Womack, performed in that beautiful chapel in Islington, less than five minutes from Highbury & Islington Tube Station. Two of my favorite Greek artists, Alkistis Protopsalti and Natassa Bofiliou, have also performed there, in November 2018 and May 2019 respectively.
London. Coffee. Church.
Some churches in London may not function as music venues but rather as cafés or even restaurants.
Host Café is one of my favorite cafés in London. It is located inside St Mary Aldermary, a beautiful church in the City of London, not far from St Paul’s Cathedral. Built by Christopher Wren in 1704, this Gothic church is also a space to reflect, to connect, and to feed body, mind, and spirit. Every Wednesday evening, there are free meditation sessions from 6.30 to 7.15 pm. The café is open 7.30 am – 4.30 pm Monday to Friday (closed in the weekends).
Not far from there, there’s Wren Coffee, located inside St Nicholas Cole Abbey (sometimes referred to as St Nick’s). Like Host Café, Wren Coffee is open 7.30 am – 4.30 pm Monday to Friday (closed in the weekends).
One of my favorite restaurants in London is housed inside a former chapel (St Botolph’s Hall) on Spital Square. It is located very close to the Old Spitalfields Market, not far from Liverpool Street Station and Shoreditch. As the name suggests, Galvin La Chapelle is a -Michelin-starred- French restaurant.
Leeds. Music. Church.
Live at Leeds is an annually held festival taking place every May in various venues around the city, including several churches, such as the Holy Trinity Church. This beautiful Georgian Church is situated in the center of Leeds, and is one of the three churches in the Parish of Leeds City. In 2019, the venue line-up also included the ‘Church’, a former church that is now a nightclub, live music and event space on the doorstep of the University of Leeds.
When I lived in Leeds, I used to go to the Leeds Minster on special occasions: either to vote in the elections (yes, it functioned as a polling station), or for the Christmas carols concerts (each year fundraising for a different charity). St Peter-at-Leeds, the Minster Church, is located opposite the bus station in the city centrer.
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, on the other hand, is located seven miles outside of Wakefield and 20 miles south of Leeds. This open-air gallery features works by British and international artists, such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. There is also St. Bartholomew’s chapel in the grounds. This small 18th-century chapel is used as an exhibition space as well as a music venue.
Vienna. Music. Church.
A few months ago, I visited the Austrian capital, and attended a classical music concert in St Peter’s Church (Peterskirche). This beautiful baroque church is situated in the heart of Vienna, not far from the famous St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom).
Trondheim. Jazz. Church.
Last month, I attended the Trondheim Jazz Festival, or Jazzfest, as it is also known. Trondheim was once called Nidaros and was the country’s capital; it is now Norway’s third-largest city. Like Live at Leeds, Jazzfest also takes place every May in various venues around the city, including several churches.
The Nidaros Cathedral (Nidarosdomen / Nidaros Domkirke) is one of the most photographed buildings in Trondheim; it is also the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world and Scandinavia’s largest medieval building. I had the opportunity to attend Emilie Nicolas’s concert inside the cathedral; it was such an awesome experience.
Only a few blocks away, there’s Vår Frue Church, a medieval parish church, where Tamara Obrovac, a Croatian ethno jazz singer, and Karl Seglem, a Norwegian jazz musician, gave two beautiful back-to-back performances.
Bakke Kirke is another parish church in Trondheim. It is located in the Bakklandet area of the city. I had the opportunity to listen not only to some beautiful jazz music there, but also to poems by Rolf Jacobsen, one of Scandinavia’s most distinguished poets. Jacobsen launched poetic modernism in Norway with his first book, ‘Jord og Jern’, in 1933.
The clouds roll on.
Silent as sleepwalkers the clouds
keep coming from infinity
bank behind bank
and line after line,
and change colors on the earth.
Rolf Jacobsen
Further reading
To read my views on religion (and Buddhism), check out my post Religion, maps & meditation.
If you’re planning to visit London, check out my post A walk and a recital in hip Shoreditch.
If you’re planning to visit Vienna, check out my post Vienna: Music, Psychotherapy & Coffee.
My post Trondheim will be published next week. If you don’t want to miss it, subscribe now to the Traveling Psychiatrist (just click on the menu on the left hand side) and follow my travels around the world.
Alex
(the Traveling Psychiatrist)