Anchorhold

Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage
National Catherdral
Washington DC
2023

Installation images by Lee Stalsworth, Laura Litten and Thomas Whalen

James Estes wrote the bibliographic supplement Julian of Norwich: a Brief Reading Guide

The communal recording of Revelations of Divine Love was made by friends and members of the Cathedral community. It is an abridged version of Julian of Norwich’s Long Text which is in the public domain

Anchorhold is an immersive installation in a cathedral crypt where visitors engaged in contemporary and historic contemplative practices in commemoration of the 650th anniversary of Julian of Norwich’s spiritual legacy. Julian (c. 1343 – after 1416) was a medieval mystic and author of the earliest surviving text by a woman in English.

The intimate 8x8' anchorhold—an enclosed room adjacent to Saint Dunstan's chapel—was dedicated to solitary reflection. The Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage offered a series of self-directed activities: meditative reading, responsive writing, and mindful drawing. Public events included labyrinth walks, a poetry workshop, and a communal reading of Julian's Revelations of Divine Love.