Significant anniversary year dawns for Chichester Cathedral

Chichester950 will be a year-long celebration featuring exhibitions, choral and orchestral concerts and community events, culminating in a spectacular light show in October.

The programme of events aims to highlight the Cathedral’s presence as a “beacon of faith, spirituality and community” and invites people to “celebrate its captivating history that spans over nine centuries.”

Edward said: “I'm very pleased at the things that we have got planned. It will be a great celebration and what is really exciting is that we have in the diocese a parallel anniversary.”

The Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which means that alongside 950 years of Chichester Cathedral, the cathedral will also mark 1,700 years of the Creed.

It is all part of a great sense of continuity: “In mid-September when there was a service and I was put in the Dean’s stall I was very conscious that it is not something that belongs to me. I am occupying the position after many, many people in the past have done so and I hope before many, many people in the future will do so. We are occupying the cathedral for our moment in time and we are part of a great unfolding history.”

And part of that unfolding history is the cathedral’s rich interest of modern art: “There's a real attempt to make the cathedral a living history that is continually being replenished, and I think Chichester Cathedral is quite unusual for the number of pieces of modern art that it contains.”

At the heart of the celebrations next year is an exhibition Religion, Rebellion & Reformation, which runs from February 14-November 15. The exhibition will feature nine objects from across East and West Sussex, each representing a century in history. Through artefacts, stories and pivotal moments, the exhibition aims to “highlight how the Christian faith shaped, not just the Cathedral’s history, but the lives of people across the two counties.”

In honour of the Cathedral’s musical heritage, a special concert marking the 60th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms will take place on Saturday, May 17 2025. Together in Unity will also feature a new choral composition which has been specially commissioned for the 950th anniversary.

To find out more about Chichester950 and the programme of events visit: www.chichester950.org.uk.

Other events will include TrinityFest on the Green on Saturday, June 15 2025, a vibrant celebration marking the Feast of the Holy Trinity, to which the Cathedral is dedicated. The day will see Chichester city centre come together for festivities and street parties, celebrating music, food and culture.

Chichester950 will conclude with a spectacular light show during October Half Term, from Friday, October 24-Friday, October 31. This immersive light and sound installation will transform the Cathedral, bringing its 950-year history to life.