This enactment of Jesus Mass took place in the Trinity Chapel, at the eastern end of the cathedral. In the Middle Ages the Trinity Chapel was used for the daily Lady Mass. The weekly Jesus Mass took place in the Hungerford Chapel, on the north side of the Trinity Chapel, but this chapel was demolished at the end of the eighteenth century.
The Trinity Chapel was the first part of the new Salisbury Cathedral to be built (1220-25), but was significantly re-modelled in the late eighteenth century ‘restoration’. Later changes include the striking stained glass windows in the east wall (Gabriel Loire, 1980), and the resiting of the tombstone of St Osmund (d. 1099) in the centre of the chapel floor.
The present configuration of the chapel inevitably influenced the enactment of Jesus Mass. The singers (the lay clerks and organists of the cathedral with two additional cantors) stood around St Osmund’s tombstone; and the congregation were free to gather where they wished within the space, and to move about. The priest and assisting server celebrated at the large altar with modern candlesticks and vessels.
Video recordings and full texts
Mass of the Holy Name in Salisbury Cathedral
Texts used by the participants
You can view, download, print and follow the main ‘performance’ texts used by the participants for this enactment:
• Service booklet for priest and clerk
• Service booklet for singers
• Booklet for congregation
The full sequence of text resources used in the enactment can be found here.
A tabular summary of what happens when and where in the Mass can be found here, and a diagrammatic plan identifying the space used in Salisbury Cathedral can be found here.