« Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated evening divine service on the Isle of Wight »

On the evening of September 25, 2026, while visiting the Isle of Wight, His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh celebrated Great Vespers at St. Mildred's Church in Whippingham, located in East Cowes.

The history of this Anglican church, built in the 19th century on the site of an ancient church erected in 1066 by the Anglo-Norman aristocrat William FitzOsbern, is closely linked to the British royal family. Queen Victoria and members of the royal family regularly visited the church during their stay at Osborne House, their summer residence on the Isle of Wight.

Before the service, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh visited the graves of members of the British royal family.  The cemetery adjacent to the church contains the grave of Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Victoria of Hesse-Darmstadt (1863–1950), and her husband, Prince Ludwig (Louis) Alexander of Battenberg (1854–1921). In the northeast corner of the church is the Battenberg Memorial Chapel, where Princess Beatrice of Great Britain (1857–1944), the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and her husband, Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858–1896), are buried in a marble sarcophagus.

At the evening service, His Grace was assisted by Archpriest Joseph Skinner, Dean of the Diocesan District of South West England. The liturgical hymns were performed by a chamber choir under the direction of Mother Sarah Skinner.

At the conclusion of the service, Father Joseph addressed Bishop Matthew with a welcoming speech. The Archpastor, in turn, expressed hope that from now on, services would be held regularly for the Orthodox residents of the Isle of Wight, and wished all those present God's help in developing church and parish life.

As a blessing for his diligent church work, Jonathan Skeet, a church choir singer for the parishes of the Diocese of Sourozh in Southampton and Portsmouth, was awarded the right to wear a cassock by Bishop Matthew.

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