Cathedrals accused of turning religious buildings into modern art exhibitions

Karen Rooms, dean of the cathedral, said of the free art exhibition: “We want people to pray and connect with God, but we also want people to enjoy their visit.”

Hereford Cathedral hosted a light show last week, illuminating the building with images of the universe, while Southwark Cathedral is the latest to display Gaia, a sculpture of the Earth that has traveled to several cathedrals in recent years.

At Coventry Cathedral today/Saturday the “Ibiza proms” saw a 40-piece orchestra perform “a carefully selected mix of the most iconic Ibiza dance songs”.

Salisbury Cathedral has become the latest of several cathedrals to host ‘silent discos’, which critics have labeled ‘raves in the nave’.

“At Salisbury Cathedral we aim to encourage an ever-wider group of people to discover and enjoy the building in new ways or for the first time,” a spokesperson said.

“Are they a gimmick?”

The Reverend Marcus Walker, the rector of St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London and chairman of Save The Parish, told The Telegraph that cathedrals needed to remember that they are “considered sacred by many”.

“Churches and cathedrals have to cope with the limited support they receive from the government and the central church, and this will inevitably involve renting out their spaces,” he said.

“But the question is, do these events point to God, or are they just a gimmick? There are things that cathedrals can attract that are not offensive.

“But then there are things that feel sacrilegious to many, like giant nightclubs telling the world that the church no longer believes in its houses of worship as centers of prayer, where the gap between heaven and earth is just a little bit smaller.

“I find it very interesting that this all happened relatively recently. I’m not at all convinced that cathedrals need to host raves in the nave to survive.”

Dr. Cajetan Skowronski, who campaigns against “raves in the nave”, said: “Britain’s great cathedrals are in danger of becoming little more than exhibitions of new modern art and fake nightclubs.

“Not seriously religion should treat its places of worship this way. The Church of England should treat them with the same kind of respect that you would expect from other historic monuments.”