Florence Nightingale window to be unveiled at Romsey Abbey

The Bishop of Southampton will lead a Commemoration Service for Florence Nightingale, as well as a blessing of the window on Sunday, May 15.

The Calling Window depicts Florence Nightingale under the cedar tree where she, at the age of 16, received her calling from God.

Florence later went on to become a nurse and is regarded as the founder of modern nursing after her work to make hospitals a cleaner and safer place to be.

The window was created by artist Sophie Hacker to mark 200 years since Florence Nightingale’s birth.

Initial plans to dedicate the window were postponed in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Romsey Abbey commissioned the artwork to mark her links to the Hampshire town where she met grew up.

Revd Thomas Wharton, Vicar of Romsey Abbey said: “We are so excited to finally be able to dedicate and bless this amazing window that celebrates Florence Nightingale’s calling to serve others. We have seen especially over the past two years the importance of nursing and the power of the legacy Florence Nightingale left behind. We are proud to have such a pivotal moment of her life – her calling from God - memorialised in Romsey, where she spent so much of her early life.”

The Right Reverend Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton, said: “Florence’s story is one we all truly admire. She was called by God to deliver such good into the world and her legacy lives on in the hardworking nurses and other carers serving today. Remembering and commemorating her tireless efforts caring for the wounded in Crimea is particularly poignant now as we continue to pray for our Ukrainian friends.

“I am looking forward to celebrating her life and to dedicate such a beautiful window in her memory.”

The Bishop of Southampton is leading a day of events marking the bi-centenary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, culminating in the dedication of the Calling Window at Romsey Abbey at 3pm.

The dedication at 3pm at Romsey Abbey is open to the public.