On the right, above a curtain, is the ‘Calling Window’ by Sophie Hacker. It was made in 2020 to mark 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Turn around and walk in front of the High Altar to get a better view of the window. At the age of sixteen, Florence received a clear ‘call’ from God. She is seated on a stone bench in the grounds of Embley Park, her home just outside Romsey. As she turns towards a bright light, four words emerge, ‘Lo, it is I’. Can you see her pet owl? She named it Athena.
Return to the area under the window and find, just to the left, the picture of the medieval nunnery in a wooden frame. This Victorian painting gives an idea of how Romsey Abbey may have looked nearly 900 years ago. A priest leads a procession of nuns. At one time there were over 100 nuns here, but numbers were greatly reduced by the Black Death in 1348 to 1349. At times there were fewer than 25 nuns.
Now return to the High Altar.
