Have you made your mind up about ‘The Armstrongs’?
Are they a genuine married couple also in business
together or are they the creation of a television
scriptwriter? Opinion is divided. If you have not
seen the programme (it’s finished now, but was on BBC2
at 9:30pm on Wednesdays) it is styled as a roving
documentary based on the lives of a married couple in
their 40’s who set up, and run, a business in the
Midlands manufacturing, and selling, conservatories.
They are very successful – indeed are millionaires -
but the way they come across in the programme sees
them as caricatures – sometimes gross, sometimes
pathetic and often ludicrous. No wonder that viewers
cannot decide whether they are real or fictitious.
In the last episode of the series they decided to
branch out into the signage business. They produced
flashing signs – one infamously depicting Jesus in a
stained glass effect – and took them to the premiere
sign-makers convention in Las Vegas. Their efforts
produced no interest whatsoever, so we saw them
consoling themselves in the bath (plenty of foaming
bubbles) eating strawberries and sipping champagne,
ruing their misfortune and planning their next step.
We saw them in all their human glory (not literally I
say again) – vulnerable and bruised, but at the same
time determined to proceed in a defiant fashion
bordering on the arrogant (and again ridiculous).
But the next day really took the biscuit. They had
decided that whilst still in LA they would take the
opportunity to renew their marriage vows with an Elvis
sing-a-like serenading them. It was all too corny for
words and at one level it seemed to be a send up of a
religious ceremony. But then it hit me – these
Armstrongs were for real! This was the point at which
I realised the whole show was not scripted, but the
lives of actual people.
The ceremony, you see, was placed just after a
touching scene in which the couple revealed that Mrs
Armstrong had mis-carried her baby. Although early in
her pregnancy they were understandably upset. Yet, it
was asserted, the husband had given his wife such
support that they resolved to try again for a baby at
a later stage. The blessing of their marriage, then,
was not at all a ‘send-up’. It was a
completely genuine assertion of their mutual love and
dedication. Amidst the Las Vegas glitz, the Elvis
singer and the schmaltzy way the ceremony was
conducted was real love and commitment from two
less-than-perfect human beings. The desire for God to
bless our best efforts is far from dead.
We, as the church, then must not turn our noses up at
the way people express their love and desire for God’s
blessing. We don’t have to employ any Elvis singers
either, but we do well to recognise God in action even
in the most bizarre or unlikely settings.
David
We promised last year that if
you kept reading "Faith Matters", you would
read about Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Grail, so
here goes. Firstly, there are many theories about the
nature of the Holy Grail. There is a connection
between Joseph and the Wales of King Arthur, and the
first theory is about a similar word to Grail -"greal"
- which is Welsh for a collection of stories, such as
the Bible. Another theory is that it means "stone
of heaven" because the word "Grail" in
medieval literature meant a stone of significance. In
French, the word "groal" meant a tureen used
for serving soup at a banquet, perhaps the Last
Supper? However, the favoured explanation, accepted
by virtually all the experts through the centuries is
that the Holy Grail was the cup used by Jesus to
consecrate the wine at the Last Supper.
Legend has it that Joseph
recovered it after the Last Supper and that at the
crucifixion of our Lord he used it to collect a few
precious drops of His blood as our Saviour's body was
being taken down from the cross. As we saw last year,
there is overwhelming evidence that Joseph came to
Britain, with 12 others, and, had there indeed been a
Holy Grail, it is certain that he would have kept it
in his possession. Legend has it that the Holy Grail
mysteriously disappeared towards the end of King
Arthur's reign in the sixth century, bringing trouble
and natural disasters to the land. We now move into
romantic legend and fantasy in which the knights of
King Arthur, Lancelot, Perceval, Galahad and the rest,
spend their days in futile adventures to find the Holy
Grail, thereby to bring back its powers to the land.
Sadly, we have no proof that it was ever found or
indeed that it existed.
However, conjecture has
abounded over the years that perhaps the Holy Grail
was a bloodline of descendants of the family of
Jesus. As we saw last year, almost certainly the step
sister of the Blessed Mother Mary, Mary Clopas,
arrived in Britain with Joseph of Arimathea. Legend
has it that this Mary was married and various theories
have been produced over the centuries about the
identity of her husband. But there is consistency in
one respect; all accounts say that she had a daughter
Anna who accompanied her to Britain. These same
accounts record that she married an English king so
that a member of the family of Jesus was linked with
our Crown. But we shall never know.
Over the centuries, the Holy
Grail has been the subject of much romantic legend.
During medieval times many so called holy relics were
displayed in churches throughout the world; pieces
from the Cross of Jesus, the Turin Shroud, earthenware
jugs used at Cana and so on, although there is no real
evidence of the authenticity of any of them, including
the Turin Shroud which was revealed by carbon testing
as being of much later origin than the First Century.
There was a flourishing industry in producing
religious fakes in the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, the
Holy Grail still holds a fascination to this day.
Faith does not
require material evidence. Our lives are living proof
of God's creation. Our prayers are our sustenance and
our belief in God is our mainstay throughout the good
and the bad times. We all pursue our own Holy Grail
in the mystery of life and death.
Roger Bryant
It was Helena’s ‘Soup in Church’ which gave me
the idea. Why not invite friends and neighbours to
come to a soup kitchen at my house during Lent and to
ask for donations for the Bishop’s Lent Appeal as a
small payment?
I gave out about a dozen invitations and on the first
Monday in Lent waited at home to see what would
happen. Between midday and 1.30 people came and
stayed and ate and talked around the dining room
table. This happened for every Monday in Lent and
altogether I had nineteen different visitors. Some
came just once or twice, others came every time. The
group included members from a number of different
local churches: from St Alban’s West Leigh and St
Thomas à Becket Warblington as well as St Faith’s.
Other sects and denominations joined in the
discussions around the table – Seventh Day Adventists,
a Unitarian, Roman Catholic, Methodist Church and
United Reform Church members. Richard Acworth managed
to join us in between his visits to France and China
and the Rector was also a welcome visitor. We laughed
a lot and talked a great deal.
I feel we all enjoyed being together exchanging ideas
and meeting new people. Certainly, some of my
neighbours had never met before. I was delighted too
on the last Monday to find that I would be able to
send more that a hundred pounds to the Bishop’s Lent
Appeal. I felt that it had all been worthwhile.
Hilary Deadman
Church Shop
£2,041.97 was banked over the period 13 March –
15 April when the Church Shop was open. Many thanks
to everybody who gave up their time to help during
this session.
A Little ‘Te Deum’ of the Common Place
For those first tiny, prayer-folded hands
That pierce the winters crust, and softly bring
Life out of death, the endless mystery:-
For all the first sweet flushing’s of the spring;
The greening earth, the tender heavenly blue;
The rich brown furrows, gaping for the seed;
For all thy grace in bursting bud and leaf,
The bridal sweetness of the orchard trees,
Rose-tender in their coming fruitfulness
The fragrant snow-drifts flung upon the breeze.
For every bird that builds in joyous hope
For every lamb that frisks beside its dam
For the great cedars benedictory grace
For earths ten thousand fragrant incenses
For that deep sea, a shallow to thy love
For gleam and gloom, for all life’s counter change
For hope that quickens under darkening skies;
For all we see; for all that underlies
We thank thee Lord! Te Deum!
John Oxenham
Molly Griffiths found this in an old school poetry
book (Christmas 1936)
Ember Days
The name Ember comes from the Old English "ymbren"
meaning period or revolution of time - perhaps a
season. (A different etymology from ember meaning a
hot coal.)
The Ember days have been part of the church calendar
since the time of Pope Callistus I (c.220), when they
were days of special prayer and fasting.
From the 5th century, they became
associated with ordinations.
They occur traditionally in four groups on the
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the weeks following
Lent 1, Pentecost, Holy Cross Day (14th
September), and St Lucy (13th December).
In the Church of England, the Alternative Service Book
(ASB) moved two of the groups (Pentecost and Holy
Cross) to the week before the Sundays closest to St
Peter's day and St Michael and All Angels.
Common Worship keeps the ASB definitions but adds that
ember days should also be observed ("under the
bishop's directions") in the week before an
ordination.
Dear Colin,
It has been very interesting to read the views of the
congregation you have printed in the last two issues.
Clearly there are sincerely held views both for and
against the new arrangement. Personally, I much
prefer to go up to the High Altar right at the east
end of the church, though as many have pointed out,
conducting the bulk of the service from nearer the
centre gives us a greater involvement. There are
practical issues too. In the experimental layout,
there wasn't enough room for the servers to move
around the altar, and the choir were relegated to the
background. These would have to be sorted out if the
central altar was made a permanent feature. And all
of these changes reduce the space available for the
congregation, which happily seems to be growing.
Where are you going to put us? Our church layout is
not really wide enough to make this a successful
change. However, what worries me most is that the
underlying reason for the change seems to be following
current fashion. Fashions change all too quickly, and
I don't believe we should be moving down this route
without much stronger liturgical reasons.
Yours sincerely,
Alan Hakim
Dear Colin,
The ‘Nave Altar’ letters in April ‘Faith
Matters’ made interesting and thoughtful reading
with a different points of view being put with
sincerity and consideration. However, I feel I must
comment on assertions made in Jeremy Toole’s letter.
He wrote, “These days the church is very much a
modern business and, like all modern businesses, it
cannot afford to stand still if it is to succeed”,
and “Change is the one true constant …”. The
Church may, of necessity at times, engage in
‘business’, but as a means, not as an end. Modern
businesses, as businesses always have, worship Mammon;
the Church worships God. As for “change being the
one true constant”; that is more a question of
semantics than a meaningful proposition. The one true
constant is the Love of God.
Elsewhere in ‘Faith Matters’, it was reported
that the PCC had agreed to the replacement of the
flagpole with one containing a mobile phone aerial,
the reason given being, “the advantages to St.
Faith’s are financial”. After reading this I
found myself thinking of money-changers and those who
bought and sold in the temple – strange, sometimes,
how the mind works.
Yours sincerely,
John Bradey
The vicar announced that they would be
having an additional font placed in the church so that
babies could be baptised at both ends
1, The Choir Stalls,
Mouse Mansions,
St Faith’s Church, Havant
Dear Father,
I am writing to you to tell you about some concerns I
have in the changes to arrangements in the building
where I am at present. Have you seen what they have
done to the altar? What do you think about it? It
has certainly thrown me into confusion. There is a
great space now under the tower and for a trial month
an altar was brought down into the body of the
church. It was like having a big table which everyone
could crowd around. You could be closer to the
Communion celebration and feel more a part of the
ritual. Do you think that’s what people want? Should
religious ceremony be far away or should it be more
accessible and understandable? And talking of
accessible, that’s another thing that I noticed
especially. I have a bit of a struggle sometimes in
getting up all those steps in the church but now if
the altar is in the Crossing, wheelchair users can get
much closer at the Communion and I have noticed that
Judy’s guide dog finds it easier too. In fact anyone
who has creaking bones or such like, have far less a
problem. I have thought a lot lately about what non
Christians think of our building and whether we are
praying enough about how we can reach those who have a
need. Should we be more open to the community as a
whole? How can we still make the building a place of
prayerful contemplation? I have to say that it felt
right having the altar in the Centre but perhaps there
should be a little more crowd control in the
services? I look forward with hope to the future.
Sincerely,
A. Mouse
Dear Colin,
We thought you might like to include the following in
“Faith Matters”. It is our little grandson
Tom’s version of Easter.
“Jesus was the ‘Goodie’ and the other
one was the ‘Baddie’ and he stuck Jesus on a pole up a
tree. His four Mummies were standing at the bottom of
the tree but his Daddy wasn’t there ‘cause He was up
in Heaven ‘cause He’s God. His Mummies put him in a
cave but when they went to see him the next day He
wasn’t there because He’s alive really.”
Incidentally Tom has only recently celebrated his 6th
Birthday.
Yours sincerely,
Joan & Mike Vick
Notice in the kitchen of a Church
Hall: ‘Ladies when you have emptied the teapot please
stand upside down in the sink’.
Dear Colin,
A short while ago, as usual, I looked at the
Obituaries page in my daily does of newsprint to see
if there were any ‘obits’ which would interest
me. The main obituary, taking up almost the whole
page, was of a man described as, priest, teacher,
monk”, “regarded as one of the outstanding Anglican
theologians of his day”. I settled in my chair to
read about this distinguished person, and indeed his
obituary was of much interest. I read of his
ordination and two curacies in wartime London. After
a few years he moved into academia, became a lecturer
in theology and wrote a number of books concerning
traditional Christianity and what was termed “new
theology”; a book of his own sermons was
particularly well received. In his sixties he retired
to an Anglican religious community, but was
“occasionally tempted out to preach”. I read on,
and then I came to something which caused an almost
adverse involuntary reaction from me. I laid aside my
newspaper and tried to analyse my thoughts – it was
not easy. I wished that those words I had just read
were not there – but they were. I thought again about
this man and his life. I wondered why I should have
reservations about a man regarded so highly by some
many eminent and learned people.
What were the words which caused my dilemma; a dilemma
similar to that which troubles many in the Anglican
Communion. I quote, “[he] made it clear that his
orientation was homosexual”.
John Bradey
Bing Crosby once said of his
friend and rival, Frank Sinatra, "A voice like
Frank's comes once in a lifetime, but why in mine!"
When Bing died, Frank said movingly of him,
"In my youth, he was my idol; in middle age, he was my
rival; and in old age, he was my friend." In
2004, Sandra Haggan organised a very successful trip
to the King’s to see the musical based on the film,
"Yankee, Doodle Dandy", which starred James
Cagney. He loved dancing but his studio mostly cast
him in gangster films. In an early one, he shocked
cinema audiences by pushing a grapefruit into the face
of an actress named Mae Clarke. Many years later, she
was invited to a Dinner honouring James Cagney. She
said, "I don't mind where I sit as long as there
isn't a grapefruit on the table!" Perhaps the
most famous "put-down" of all time was when the
young Rock Hudson swaggered over to Noel Coward at a
reception and announced "I am Rock Hudson!" To
which Noel replied, "Of course you are, dear
boy!"
Roger Bryant
An English Lady, while visiting Switzerland, was
looking for rooms in which to live, and she asked the
local schoolmaster if he could recommend a place to
stay. He took her to several places and when
everything was settled, the Lady returned home in
order to make preparations for the move. When she
arrived home she suddenly realised she had not seen a
W.C. around. She immediately wrote to the
schoolmaster about this. His English not being very
good, he discussed the meaning of W.C. and could only
find that the letters stood for “Wayside Chapel”.
Accordingly he wrote to the Lady as follows:
Dear Madam,
I take great pleasure in informing you that the W.C.
is situated 9 miles from the house in the centre of a
beautiful grove of pine trees surrounded by lovely
grounds. It is capable of holding 200 people, and it
is open on Sundays and Thursdays only. As a great
number of people are expected during the summer
months, I would suggest you come early although there
is plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate
situation, particularly if you are in the habit of
going regularly and sitting. You will no doubt be
glad to hear that a good number of people bring their
lunch and make a day of it, while others who can
afford to go by car arrive just in time. I would
especially recommend your Ladyship to go on a Thursday
when there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics
are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be
heard by everyone. It may interest you to know that
my daughter was married in the W.C. – it was there she
had met her husband. I can remember the rush for
seats. There were two people who actually occupied a
seat for one. It was wonderful to see the expression
on their faces. The newest attraction is the Bell,
which was donated by a wealthy resident of the
district; it rings each time a person enters. A
Bazaar is to be held to provide plush seats for
everyone, since people feel that it is a long felt
need. My wife is rather delicate so she cannot attend
regularly. It is almost a year since she went last.
Naturally it pains not to be able to go more often.
Hoping I have been of some service to you. I remain,
The Schoolmaster
Fact and Faith
The rector was preaching about the relationship
between “Fact and Faith”.
“That you are sitting in front of me in
church is fact”,
he said.
“That I am speaking to you from the
pulpit is fact. But it is only faith that makes me
believe that any of you are listening”.
Burns Night
Havant indulged in some Scottish culture on Saturday
21 January when a traditional Burns Night celebration
was held in the Church Hall. The event was held in
conjunction with the Ecumenical church with proceeds
divided between the two churches. Although it has
been held for a number of years this was the first
time we had attended and it was a very impressive and
truly family event. With the company of the Lord and
Lady Mayoress, who performed the traditional speeches,
we were entertained with Scottish dancers, music, a
Celidh and, of course, the piping in of the haggis.
The hall was filled to capacity, which is always a
welcome sight, although one that could cause panic
amongst most caterers working in the small kitchen
with its limited facilities. Not so for Sandra and
her team. Demonstrating excellent planning and
resourcefulness a very good full four course hot meal
was somehow prepared and served with the aid of a
willing band of waitresses made up of the younger
members of the church. Sandra demonstrates such
superb skill and determination in her involvement with
the church it would not be too fanciful to believe
that a distant relative of hers was involved in the
efficient distribution of the loaves and fishes!
There are few occasions when all age groups can enjoy
an evening together and they are special because they
help mould our community. To also celebrate the
culture of a valued part of the British Isles made
this a different and memorable occasion and for which
we thank all those involved with the planning, music
and the cooking and serving of the meal.
Colin Hedley
St. Faith’s Church Choir
When I was asked to write a report for the magazine
about the Choir I found it incredible that a whole
year has passed since I became Organist and Choir
Director at St Faith's! In looking back over that
year I realise just how much has been achieved. All
the music in the Vestry has been sorted and
catalogued, and this highlighted the areas that needed
to be addressed where music and robes were concerned.
Anthems and anthem books, carol books, harmony hymn
books and folders, book covers, pencils and rubbers,
adult cassocks and surplices, were all necessary
purchases.
Two generous members of the congregation kindly
donated money enabling us to purchase two adult choir
cassocks and surplices as well as a full set of John
Rutter's anthem "For the Beauty of the Earth".
A further generous donation meant that we could order
more copies of anthem and carol books, and we
anticipate being able to order two new choristers’
cassocks and surplices with the money left over.
The choir numbered only three when I first took over
at the end of January 2005, but gradually choristers
returned, some adults were persuaded to join, and the
choir now numbers twenty. The trebles started
training for the Royal Schools of Church Music (RSCM)
badge scheme. This entailed studying the theory and
singing requirements of the different coloured
ribbons. The first level is Light Blue, followed by
Dark Blue and then Red. In addition, there are
external awards which are moderated by the Diocese -
namely the Dean's and Bishop's badges. For these,
choristers have to go to the Cathedral for both their
examinations and their awards. In the autumn term,
the adults intimated that they, too, would appreciate
the opportunity of training for their badges, and
bravely embarked on - for some of them - a huge
learning curve! Concentration is 100% on Friday
nights!
Having a larger choir meant that anthems could be
tackled in four-part harmony. Several milestones have
been reached, namely two choral Evensongs, a
traditional "Nine Lessons and Carols" at
Christmas, and a super concert "Advent Music,
Poetry and Prose". For these bigger choral
events, visiting organists and extra singers from
around the Diocese were invited to join us. This
enabled us to sing more challenging works. Several
choristers and adults have had the courage to sing
solos, and are at present looking forward to joining
in such local RSCM events as "Meet, Eat and Sing"
at Denmead Church, and a 'Come and Sing' Stainer's
"Crucifixion" at St Mary's Church, Fratton on Good
Friday at 7pm.
Recruitment is a major priority. The choir
desperately needs more altos, tenors and basses. If
you know of any possible candidates, please encourage
them to join us. Younger singers, from the age of
seven, would also be welcome. Choir night is on
Friday with the trebles starting at 6.15pm and the
adults at 7pm. The trebles leave at 7.45pm and the
adults at 8.30pm. The choir sings during school term
times only and have about eleven Sundays off annually.
In return, expert training is given in both singing
and theory, all music and robes are provided free, and
there is also a monthly pay packet for those above
Probationer level.
This was a busy, fun-filled year! I trust that much
will also be achieved in 2006!
Sylvia Willey - Organist & Choir Director
 Chestnut
Recipe (1)
Here are the two recipes from Helena Youle’s article
on Compassionate
Lunches which appeared in last month’s “Faith
Matters”.
Chestnut & Red Wine Pâté en Croûte (serves 6)
2 tablespoons olive oil 75g
soft fresh white or brown breadcrumbs
2 medium onions (chopped) salt and
freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed 50g
button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 glass of red wine 450g
frozen puff pastry, defrosted
450g chestnuts (mashed) soya milk
to glaze (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 230°C, gas mark 8. Heat the oil
in a medium large saucepan and fry the onions for
about 10 minutes. until soft. Add the garlic and
mushrooms, if using, and cook for a further 2-3
minutes. Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for
a minute or two until most of the liquid has gone.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the chestnuts,
breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Leave to
cool. Roll the pastry out into 2 strips, the first
measuring about 15 x 30 cm the second 20 x 30 cm. Put
the first, narrower strip onto a baking sheet which
you’ve brushed with cold water. Spoon the chestnut
mixture onto the pastry, keeping 1cm clear round the
edges, and piling it up well in the middle to form a
nice loaf-like shape. Brush the edges of the pastry
with cold water, then lay the second piece of pastry
on top, easing it over the mixture and aligning the
edges all round, then press down lightly to seal.
Trim the edges. Make trimmings into festive shapes
and stick on top of the pastry with water. Make a few
small steam holes with a ford or skewer, then brush
all over with soya milk, if you wish to glaze it.
Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes then reduce
the temperature to 200°C gas mark 6 and bake for a
further 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden
brown, crisp and flaky. Serve at once.
Chestnut Recipe (2)
Chestnut Loaf
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
225gm vacuum-packed cooked, peeled chestnuts
225gm can chopped tomatoes 100gm wholemeal
breadcrumbs
1 stick celery, chopped
100gm mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage sprig of parsley to
decorate
tomato relish to serve
Preheat oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Line a 1lb loaf
tin with greaseproof paper. Add the olive oil into a
thick based saucepan and cook the chopped onion and
garlic on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Once the onion
has softened, add the chestnuts, chopped tomatoes,
breadcrumbs, celery, mushrooms and sage. Stir well to
partially break up the chestnuts, then spoon into the
lined loaf tin, pressing the mixture down firmly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, until golden
brown and firm. When cooked, loosen the edges of the
loaf with a knife, then gently turn out onto a serving
plate. Decorate with a sprig of parsley and serve in
thick wedges with tomato relish. This is also
delicious eaten cold, and keeps well in the
fridge.
From the Guidebook to St John's Church, Farley
Chamberlayne
O God,
make the door of this church wide enough
to receive all who need human love and fellowship
but narrow enough
to shut out all envy, pride and strife.
Make its threshold smooth enough
to be no stumbling block to children
nor to straying feet
but strong enough
to turn back the tempter's power
God, make the door of this church
a gateway to your eternal kingdom.
A Short Trip to Tripoli
Libya has had a bad press in recent years, especially
in this country since the Lockerbie air disaster.
However, now that the trial of the Libyan suspect has
taken place – even if political rumour suggests some
other country was in fact responsible for the bomb –
Libya is opening up to some extent to tourism. I
believe it is still very difficult to travel there as
an individual, but groups are welcome. And since I
have wanted for many years to see their Roman ruins,
said to be the best in the world, Frances and I joined
an organised tour to Tripoli in February.
We were delighted but surprised by the country. The
people were most welcoming, and unlike their
neighbours in North Africa (Egypt and Tunisia) nobody
pressed you to buy something all the time. Even in
the markets of the old Medina, it was possible to look
in a shop window without the owner rushing out to pull
you inside. Nobody asks for tips, even when they
deserve one. The Libyans seem very self-contained and
unflappable. We were there just after the matter of
the Danish cartoons had caused riots in many Islamic
states, but there was no sign of that where we were.
(There was trouble a week later in Benghazi, at the
other side of the country, but I believe that was
caused by an Italian politician being deliberately
provocative.) There was the traditional disadvantage
for foreign tourists: the call to prayer five times a
day on heavily amplified loudspeakers from every
mosque. The Dawn call is always earlier than the
average tourist wants to wake up. The men were
dressed much as in most countries round the
Mediterranean: shirts and trousers, or suits for
formal occasions. Women appeared to have freedom to
dress as they wished. We saw everything from full
Islamic scarf and full-length gown to informal
Western-style, often without a headscarf. The shop
windows had fashionable evening dresses on display.
Even though it is an Islamic state, the regime is
tolerant of Christianity, but it is a minority
religion, mainly for expatriate workers. Just up the
road from our hotel was the Roman Catholic Church of
San Francisco, built by the Italians in the 1930s. It
has services every day, especially Friday (the Islamic
‘weekend’) and Sunday, held in Arabic, English,
French, Italian, Korean and Polish. Perhaps things
would have been easier when the Mass was in Latin. On
the other hand, the cathedral built by the Italians in
1928 has been converted into the principal mosque.
In spite of dire warnings in the guide book, I found
the traffic very orderly. You can even rely on a
zebra crossing to get over the road safely. There
must be some danger: we did see a lot of dead cars,
old bangers upside down by the roadside, but although
the traffic in the city was very heavy, I never saw an
accident.
The other great reputation Libya has overseas is the
cult of the leader, Colonel Gadaffi. Certainly, he
restarted the calendar when he took over the country
in the coup of 1 September 1969, so that posters all
over Tripoli had a prominent ‘36’ on them – as
do the stamps in our passports. But I have been to
many countries where the cult of the leader’s
personality is more obvious.
So, what did we do on our short visit? We were a
group of 25, mostly middle-aged or older, and as far
as I could find out, all except us two were either
teachers at school or university, or travelling with
one. Everyone had come because of having studied
Latin, so there was great argument at the Roman sites
about the meaning of the Latin inscriptions. These
are notoriously difficult to decipher, written in an
early form of text messaging, and when key letters
have weathered away, the results can be ambiguous.
Our first day out was to Sabratha, about halfway
between Tripoli and the Tunisian frontier. It was a
beautiful sunny day, and we were able to wander about
the site and look over the blue of the Mediterranean
which made a magnificent backdrop to the rebuilt
theatre. Libya was under Italian control between WWI
and WWII, when Britain took over briefly after General
Montgomery had defeated Rommel. The Italians had
invested a lot of effort in archaeology; after all,
Libya was an important province of the Roman Empire,
and part of Italy’s own history. The Sabratha site is
about a mile square, and littered with columns of
temples, basilicas and other public buildings. One of
the best-preserved is the latrines, still in working
order (but not in use!) attached to one of the bath
complexes. The theatre has been rebuilt, and
dominates the site. Many of the buildings have mosaic
floors, some with the same patterns as here at
Fishbourne, but the finest have been removed to
museums. The best mosaics are made up of such tiny
stones that it isn’t until you get very close that you
realise they aren’t paintings.
Tripoli is the Greek for ‘Three Cities’, which
are Sabratha, Leptis Magna and Oea. The first two had
the advantage of being abandoned for centuries, so the
sites are easy to excavate, and the remains are in
good condition. But Oea is under modern Tripoli, and
a lot of it is impossible to discover because of more
recent buildings, often themselves historic monuments.
There is one very fine arch, built by Marcus Aurelius
in AD 163, and now about 15 feet below street level,
but the best Roman remains are in the museum, set in
the old fort. Here are breathtakingly lovely mosaics,
lots of Roman statues (including one fine one of the
goddess Venus, only recently returned by the Italians,
who had presented it to the Nazi Marshal Goering in
the 1930s) and even the 1960s Volkswagen ‘Beetle’
used by Colonel Gaddafi as he was going around
building up support for his coup. Not to mention a
whole floor devoted to the achievements of the
revolution: unfortunately all but two exhibits were
entirely in Arabic, so I can’t tell you much about
them. In fact throughout the country, notices are
exclusively Arabic, except in a very few places
frequented by tourists.
Next to the fort is the Medina, a traditional warren
of narrow streets lined with shops selling all manner
of goods. There are very few shops for tourist
souvenirs, but everything for leading a full life:
food, clothing, luggage - mostly, of course, Made In
China. Our third day of sightseeing was to Leptis
Magna, about 80 miles east of Tripoli. This should
have been even finer than Sabratha, but unfortunately
it rained, and we missed the wonderful colour we had
seen at Sabratha. The site is even bigger, with
magnificent buildings standing up to three stories
high. Leptis was the birthplace of the emperor
Septimius Severus (who died in AD 211 at York – it is
facts like this that bring home the extent of the
Roman empire) so his imperial favour ensured that
money went into beautifying the city, which was
already one of the most important cities of the
empire. One of the most impressive areas is the
market, decorated with marble during his reign,
including the most beautiful fish shops I have even
seen: the counters are supported on marble dolphins.
Libya is hoping to increase its tourist trade,
possibly seeing the prosperity it is bringing to its
neighbour Tunisia. But there is a long way to go yet,
and some steps may be unacceptable. There are few
beaches, and certainly no specially-developed tourist
enclaves. Alcohol is totally banned (so is pork),
though in the smarter restaurants it is possible to
get Becks non-alcoholic beer, brewed in Germany and
very similar to their lager. And the food is not very
exciting. With the short time we had, the group
tended to eat together in restaurants chosen by the
guide, where the menu was almost unchanging. It
started with soup. “What kind of soup?” we
would ask. “Libyan soup,” was the reply, though
you did get the choice of Libyan soup-with-meat or
Libyan soup-with-fish. Then there was a choice of
meat (usually tough) fish or chicken followed by a
sort of micro-fruit salad: mostly apples (odd, since
they are imported, while the roads were lined with
stalls selling oranges) cut up in very small cubes.
Yet the pastry shops sell wonderful sticky honey
cakes, and there are excellent ice-creams, another
legacy of the Italians. We only had time to visit a
very small part of a very large country. In the east,
Cyrenaica has Greek ruins of the same standard as the
Roman ones we saw. To the south is the Sahara, mostly
empty but with the oilfields that give Libya more
prosperity than many countries in that area. Would I
recommend a visit? Yes, definitely, but only if you
are interested in the Roman and Greek sites.
Alan Hakim
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