COUPLES who married in Henley’s St Nicholas Church are invited to take part in a mass vow renewal to celebrate its 850th anniversary.
The celebration ceremony will take place at the Beaudesert Lane church on Saturday July 18.
And excited husband and wife teams have wasted no time signing up.
Within less than 24 hours four couples had contacted Rector John Ganjavi to say they wanted to take part.
He told the Observer: “St Nicholas’ is a sacred place that has been the setting for many significant moments in peoples lives.
“We are inviting those who have been married at St Nicholas’ to join in with a celebration to renew their vows as well as thanking God for the place where those vows were first uttered.
“It doesn’t matter if you were married recently or many years ago, all are welcome.”
The Norman church stands at the foot of Henley Mount and is overlooked by the main parish church of St John’s.
The town is divided into the parishes of Beaudesert and Henley, with the former previously served by St Nicholas’ until both were combined and overseen by one reverend in 1915.
To celebrate its anniversary year events will be held for ten days from July 10.
Mr Ganjavi, who is rector of both churches, said: “St Nicholas’ Church is a wonderful building with a lot of history. The church attracts visitors not only from this country but from overseas too and we receive many comments regarding the sense of history that exists once you enter the building.
“The church has changed very little since it was built and we want the celebrations to be really special. We have a team working hard planning events.”
Email [email protected] to find out more about the vow renewal.
