Stand in front of the Altar. You are standing in the most special place in the Abbey. It is called the Chancel.
Look above the Altar. You can see a carving of the baby Jesus and his mother Mary.
Christians believe that when God wanted to get really close to us as human beings, God sent Jesus to live with us and teach us how God wanted us to live. The carving shows us the time when Jesus was a little baby.
Underneath the carving is a table we call the Altar. The altar reminds us of Jesus at the end of his life. Jesus got his friends together around a table and shared his last meal with them. It was a meal of bread and wine. Jesus blessed the bread and shared it with his friends. He did the same with the wine and said to his friends, every time you share bread and wine remember me.
Christians remember Jesus every time they meet and share bread and wine. It is a very special part of a Christian’s life.
This might be a good time to think about someone who is important to you and say a quiet thank you. You can also think of how you could be special to someone else.
In the centre of the chancel is a stone with the names of the four people who bought the Abbey from Henry VIII for £100: John Knyght, Robert Cooke, John Ham and John Salt.
On the north side of the chancel is the organ. Built in 1858, the organ has 2250 pipes, the largest of which is nearly 10 metres long and 0.6 metres across. The smallest pipe is the size of a pencil.
Minding the step, leave the chancel through the gap on the right hand side, between the organ and the choir stalls.
