Westminster Abbey

Everyone is welcome at Westminster Abbey this #Lent and #Easter. Join us from wherever you are in the world for services, prayer and reflections. Find out more: westminster-abbey.org/easter

'For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.' Colossians 1: 19-20

You can listen to more reflections from the Abbey throughout Holy Week us as we follow the story of Jesus from triumph to tragedy, from the cross to the empty tomb. Sign up to our free newsletter to receive each reflection direct to your inbox: westminster-abbey.org/join-our-maili…

'It is often said, but if we just skip from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, we will have missed all the important bits. We might be more inclined to think that this is some magical happily-ever-after story, rather than the deep Divine engagement in rejection and suffering and death that we discover through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. These are the days that explore why the resurrection of Jesus might be good news for all of us, not just good news for him.' On Palm Sunday, our Canon Rector, the Reverend Mark Birch, reflected on the significance of Holy Week. Listen to the full reflection now at: audioboom.com/posts/8876169-…

Book your spot: bit.ly/3PMR6Zf

On Wednesday 29 April, join us in St Margaret's Church for a Lunchtime choral concert, celebrating the joy and new life of Easter. Listen to uplifting music full of the joy and new life of Easter, sung by the St Margaret's Consort. Featuring William Byrd’s ‘Haec Dies’, the concert promises to be a truly memorable celebration of the season.

Morning sunshine in the cloisters on the Monday of #HolyWeek #Lent #Lent2026

'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!' Luke 19: 38 #PalmSunday

Musician Sir Charles Villiers Stanford died #onthisday in 1924. His works included operas, choral music and symphonies, and he is well known for his Anglican cathedral music. He also published collections of Irish folk songs and was conductor of the London Bach Choir. He is buried in the Abbey, close to the graves of other great musicians including Herbert Howells and Ralph Vaughan Williams, both of whom he taught.

'You have showed yourself a wise physician' - Merry Wives of Windsor (II, 3) Among the medical pioneers remembered here in the Abbey are: - Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing who dramatically lowered mortality rates through improved hygiene - Howard Florey, who saved countless lives by developing penicillin into an effective drug - Joseph Lister, who revolutionised medicine by developing antiseptic surgery #ShakespeareSunday

Today is #PalmSunday, the Sunday before #Easter, when we celebrate Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Everyone is welcome to join us for Sung Eucharist with the Blessing of Palms at 10:30am (BST), either in the Abbey or via our livestream. You can watch live or on demand at: youtube.com/watch?v=qm3PDC… #Lent #Lent2026

'Jesus said, 'The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you.'' John 12: 35

Over the last week we've been looking at a series of Passiontide images from the Litlyngton Missal. Our final image is this beautiful resurrection scene: 'Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name' - Luke 24:46-47

As we look towards #HolyWeek, hear Thomas Tallis' masterpiece, The Lamentations of Jeremiah, sung by members of the Abbey Choir. In the 16th century, Tallis set five verses of the Biblical book of Lamentations to music. His exquisite, mournful pair of motets have been a much-loved musical choice for choirs and churches around the world ever since. During Holy Week, when Christians remember Jesus Christ's suffering and death, the Lamentations are often sung in Tenebrae services or on Good Friday. The grief expressed in the Lamentations gives voice to our sorrow as we remember Christ's passion. You can watch the full recording of the motets - and see the text and translation - at: westminster-abbey.org/tallis With our thanks to the Abbey musicians: - Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers - Matthew Jorysz, Sub-Organist - Simon Ponsford, countertenor - William Balkwill, tenor - Mark Dobell, tenor - Stuart O'Hara, bass - Robert Macdonald, bass

'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.' Hebrews 13: 6

This Sunday is #PalmSunday, when we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He was welcomed by crowds who laid palm leaves in his path and proclaimed him the Messiah. Palm Sunday also marks the start of #HolyWeek when we look ahead of Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday. Find out more ⤵️

Every day this week, we're looking at the events of Passiontide through images from the 14th-century Litlyngton Missal. Today's image shows Jesus' burial. ‘In the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.' – John 19: 41-42

The clustered columns which support the gothic-style vaulting in the Abbey's nave nearly all have carved figures at the top. So if you ever feel you're being watched, you probably are! These ornamental heads of humans or beasts are called label stops. Those on the Reigate stonework above the Purbeck marble pillars - like the creature peeping over the ledge here - date back to the 15th century.

You can find out more about some of the great actors, directors and playwrights remembered here in the Abbey on our website at: westminster-abbey.org/history/famous…

The most-recently dedicated theatrical memorial in the Abbey is that to actor and director Sir John Gielgud, which was installed in 2022. The design of the stone was based on Sir John's handwriting, and the memorial is close to that of Gielgud's friend and fellow acting great Sir Laurence Olivier.

On #WorldTheatreDay, we're celebrating some of the notable actors and playwrights buried or remembered here in Westminster Abbey. We're beginning with perhaps the most famous writer commemorated in Poets' Corner: William Shakespeare. While it may be no surprise to find that our greatest playwright has a memorial here, it's often forgotten that it was only thanks to the campaigning work of a group of well-connected women, informally known as the Shakespeare Ladies Club, that his statue came to be dedicated in the Abbey. Together, they encouraged revivals of Shakespeare's plays on the London stage, and held two benefit performances at the Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres specifically to raise money for the Abbey memorial, which was dedicated in 1741.