Ely Cathedral Event

Winter is settling in here in Northern Minnesota.  At the moment, there is not much in the way of snow on the ground.  But with the cold bleak skies, and sub-zero temperatures, it’s fun to dream of a mid winter escape. Daily I hear from clients who are heading off for a cruise, or to the warmer climes of Florida, Texas, and Arizona. There are even a few heading out to the tropical Hawaiian Islands. They sound like wonderful destinations for a winter get away. After all, they are escaping the chilling weather. But ask me what my dream destination would be?  None of the above. My dream destination would the United Kingdom.  And now there is an Ecclesiastical Embroidery event looming in the near future that would certainly be worth packing a bag and heading across the seas to take in.

Ely Cathedral Exhibit February 4 to 28, 2015

Ely Cathedral will be hosting a unique exhibition of Ecclesiastical Embroidery in partnership with the Royal School of Needlework.

Over 60 displays will include significant pieces of needlework which have been worked on by the Royal School and which form part of their collection housed at Hampton Court Palace.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is six of the twelve Litany of Loreto panels. They were bequeathed to the School by a convent in Sussex and are rarely on display to the public. Other pieces include depictions of theological figures and symbols using a wide range of threads and techniques, plus some rare examples of white work altar cloths, burses, stoles and chalices.

This unique exhibition will include artefacts from Ely Cathedral’s own collection including a Mediaeval Cope, an 18^th century gold vestment set and the recently restored white altar frontal.

As part of the event we are delighted to have on display the 11^th century gilded bronze chasuble pin, originally from the tomb of Archbishop Wulfstan at Ely, and gifted to the Society of Antiquaries in 1771.

The Royal School of Needlework  recently  had an exhibit  where all 12 Litany of Loreto Panels were on display.  There was a nice post about that event on Needle’n Thread a while back. If you missed the chance to see the entire set, seeing half of such a rare and beautiful set of embroideries would be worth the trip.  Along with the exhibit, I heard a first hand account that there are also goldwork and silk shading workshops scheduled. It sounds like a wonderful event!  For those lucky enough to be attending, please be sure to let the rest of us know the details of the show and the workshops. Please feel free to post links to photos from the workshops in the comments.

And a special thank you goes to Fr. Andrew for letting us know about this event at Ely Cathedral.

Solo Dei Gloria

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