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Dame Sarah Mullally, former Bishop of London and a one-time Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS, became the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury on 25 March 20 26.
As the first woman to lead both the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, her appointment marks a historic moment. She succeeds Justin Welby, who stepped down, following criticism over his handling of an abuse scandal.
Her priorities are clear: to improve safeguarding, offer strong pastoral leadership, and address what she has described, as the Church’s “Legacy of Harm”.
The artwork is : St John the Baptist church Inglesham, Wiltshire.
St John the Baptist Church in Inglesham, near Swindon in Wiltshire, has Anglo-Saxon origins, though much of the present structure dates from around 1205. Remarkably, large parts of the building have remained unchanged since the medieval period. Now a Grade I listed building, the church has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust since 1981 and is no longer used for regular worship.
It stands above the water meadows, close to where the River Thames meets the River Coln and the Thames and Severn Canal. Much of the fabric dates from the 13th century, though traces of an earlier church still survive. Inside, the walls tell a unique story—layered with paintings spanning over 600 years, in some places up to seven layers thick. There is also an Anglo-Saxon carving of the Virgin and Child, along with historic box pews, a pulpit, and memorials.
The church’s history reflects its importance. In 1205, King John granted it to the Cistercian monks of Beaulieu Abbey. Later, in 1231, Pope Gregory IX confirmed this arrangement at the request of Henry III. Then, in 1355, both the manor and the church passed into the hands of a Leicester hospital, The College of the Annunciation of St Mary.
The featured music is “Thine Be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son,” recognised as one of the most significant hymns of Easter.
Ben Maton performs this piece on the harmonium, a small reed organ, recorded inside St John the Baptist Church.The organ, constructed by Story & Clark of Chicago and installed between 1880 and 1890, remains preserved in the church today. It is notable that an American organ continues to function after nearly 150 years in a small medieval English country church.
After a short introduction, the music plays at 3 minutes 54 seconds.
Listeners interested in this performance may wish to explore additional works by Ben Maton, also known as The Salisbury Organist.Further performances by Ben Maton are available at www.youtube.com/@SalisburyOrganist.
Swiss minister Edmond Budry composed the lyrics, which are set to a triumphant melody by George Frideric Handel, who is best known for Messiah. The melody originally appeared in Handel’s 1747 oratorio Joshua, a work that celebrates victory in battle and aligns with the hymn’s theme. More than a century later, Budry wrote new words inspired by loss but filled with hope in the resurrection. The hymn was first written in French, and it reached a wider audience when Richard Hoyle translated it into English in 1923. At its core, the hymn conveys a simple yet powerful message: through Christ, death is overcome, and victory is achieved.
