Aedes nostra sancta

This motet by John Mundy, for STTBB choir, sets a Latin text lamenting the destruction of a holy place. The opening lines speak of a sacred building, the glory of God's house, where ancestors praised him, now consumed by fire and reduced to desolation. The text then poses rhetorical questions to the Lord, asking if He will remain hidden and afflict them so severely. It is a powerful expression of grief and desperate appeal, suitable for moments of reflection on loss and divine judgment within a sacred service. The rich, full sound of the six-part choir would lend considerable weight and pathos to this dramatic text.