St Martin’s church in Canterbury - the oldest church in the English-speaking world - will be part of Easter Sunday's Songs of Praise on BBC One with presenter Aled Jones observing a special recreation of the Easter dawn service. The programme also features nearby Canterbury Cathedral.
Christians traditionally gather at dawn on Easter Sunday for services to recall the resurrection of Christ and St Martin’s is believed to have celebrated Easter on the same site for over 1500 years.
At the St Martin’s service a new fire is lit, from which the Paschal candle flame is taken. The candle is then brought into the church, with its light symbolising the light of the resurrection of Jesus.
The Revd Professor Charlotte Sleigh is seen holding the Pascal candle, which was then used to light the candles held by the rest of the congregation, finishing with lighting Aled Jones’ candle [pictured].
This TV appearance comes after St Martin’s featured on ITV Meridian for Women’s History Month, which highlighted the role of Queen Bertha in the history of the church.
Canterbury Cathedral also features strongly in the BBC Broadcasting schedules on Easter Day when the Archbishop of Canterbury will preach at the 8.10am communion service, broadcast live on Radio 4, then give his Easter address at the 10am sung eucharist, broadcast on BBC One. Choral evensong will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 3pm.
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