Salisbury (United Kingdom) (AFP)

The high medieval walls erected to celebrate the faith now house the hope born of the latest scientific discoveries: usually frequented by worshipers and visitors, Salisbury Cathedral in the south-west of England has been converted into a center of vaccination.

The 13th-14th century building is one of three British cathedrals participating in the largest vaccination program in the country's history.

In a small chapel usually dedicated to prayers, a nurse pulls out a vial of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine from the cold.

After the injection, William Perry, 98, waits under the nave for the prescribed quarter of an hour to observe any possible side effects, sitting at a good distance from a farmer and a former policewoman.

It is the first time that he has left his home since last March and even if it is "a little wet", he does not regret it.

"It's good to think they are doing something so that I can still be around a few more weeks or years, until I'm 100!"

rejoices this former engineer of the Royal Air Force, who maintained legendary Spitfire fighter planes during the Battle of Britain, during the Second World War.

"I think I did my part for the country," said William Perry, who after the war worked as a maintenance engineer at the British Post.

- "Life and hope" -

Like the cathedrals of Blackburn and Lichfield, that of Salisbury this weekend opened its gigantic doors to the massive program of the government, which plans to immunize the over 70 years and vulnerable people, or 15 million inhabitants, from here in mid-February.

This week, 3,000 people are expected to be vaccinated at Salisbury Cathedral.

The context has changed a lot since March 2018, when Salisbury was the scene of the attempted assassination of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal.

Two Russians have been named by British police as the main suspects in the attack.

The latter had cost the life, four months later, to a homeless woman, who had touched the bottle of perfume which would have been used as container to the innervating agent Novichok.

On Russian television, both had presented themselves as visitors keen on architecture, describing with precision the spire of the building, the highest in England, which rises to 123 meters.

"The craftsmen of the Middle Ages built it like this 700 years ago because they wanted to point in a provocative and spectacular way towards life and hope, to point towards the kingdom of God", underlines the reverend of the cathedral , Nick Papadopoulos.

"It is exactly the same thing with vaccination", continues the religious, for whom "it offers life and hope to the inhabitants of the city, the region and, ultimately, the world".

- To the sound of the organ -

In the cathedral, syringes prick the arms to the sound of the organ, recently renovated for around one million pounds sterling (1.1 million euros).

Two organists take turns throughout the day, performing soothing pieces by Bach, Dvorak and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

“We hope to create an atmosphere of serenity and tranquility, just to get people to think of other things during the bite and to help the teams through what would otherwise be a very, very long day,” said the Reverend.

Among those helping to keep operations running is 62-year-old Jeannie Grant, the daughter of the 98-year-old man who was vaccinated.

Coming to a place which has seen "so much history" in the service of "such a wonderful objective for the population", "it is very special", she underlines, full of hope: "It will be wonderful when we're done with all of this and life can start to get back to normal. "

© 2021 AFP