LENOX — The Lenox Cultural District’s newest maze brings an oasis of tranquility to the area.
A recently completed labyrinth on the front lawn of Trinity Episcopal Church is designed as a space for meditation and rest, and the popular walking path at the intersection of Walker and Kemble Streets now features benches, new plantings and red maple trees.
It will be dedicated Sunday with an outdoor concert, blessing and reception.
The Reverend Michael Tuck, rector of Trinity Church and St Helena Chapel, said mazes date back to the 12th and 13th centuries and were first built in churches and cathedrals in connection with early medieval pilgrimages.
“It was a kind of physical prayer that took place throughout the journey,” he said. “By drawing patterns on the floor, it became an artificial, almost intellectual exercise. You come into contact with yourself, you meet God, and you go home changed.”
In the late 1980s, an Anglican priest inspired by the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France installed another one at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.
But since the 1990s, labyrinths have spread far and wide, with more than 6,400 in more than 90 counties, according to a list by the International Labyrinth Society. In the Berkshires, labyrinths can be found not only in churches but also in secular places such as the Kripalu Yoga & Health Center in Stockbridge and the Miraval Berkshire Resort in Lenox.
For Tuck, who has served as Trinity’s pastor since 2012, the maze represents part of an inner spiritual journey confronting challenges of racial injustice and reconciliation.
“The idea for the maze actually came from our parishioners,” he says. “They had just finished a program called ‘Sacred Ground,’ which explored structures and systems of racial injustice and their legacies. The logo for ‘Sacred Ground’ is a maze.”
The project began about five years ago, and the highly visible public space on the church grounds was chosen as “a kind of gift to the town, to provide a place of refuge and reflection,” Tuck said.
Funding was secured through an anonymous donor, a donation from the Lenox Garden Club and memorials from parishioners who have passed away. The grounds were designed by Rob Aykroyd, director of landscape architecture with EDM Architecture and Engineering in Pittsfield.
Tuck said using and enjoying the maze isn’t just for religious people.
“No matter where you are in your journey, I encourage you to enjoy this space and walk through this sacred ground,” Tuck said. “To address issues like white supremacy and the legacy of racism, we must first begin by reflecting on our place in these systems. That’s the inner journey that the maze represents.”
Noah Palmer, Trinity’s music program director, said Sunday’s celebration will begin with an outdoor concert by the Hyperion String Quartet at 3 p.m.
A blessing and ribbon cutting will take place at 4 p.m., followed by a garden party on the lawn.
“Anyone is welcome in this space, come however you feel,” Tuck said. “I can just see little kids running around with ice cream cones, and I think that’s amazing.”
