THESE pictures show a stunning candlelit service at York Minster this weekend.

The sixth annual Sankta Lucia service celebrates the bringer of light during the long darkness of winter, and is a traditional Swedish service.

Friday's atmospheric service was a celebration of St Lucy, a young Sicilian girl who was martyred for her Christian faith in the early fourth century.

The service featured a candlelit procession and traditional Swedish carols and songs, and is run in partnership with York Anglo-Scandinavian Society (YASS). It featured performances by the London Nordic Choir.

The Revd Canon Peter Moger, Acting Dean of York, said: "The service has many similarities to our own Advent Procession, with candlelight being used to light the cathedral during the procession, symbolising the coming of Christ, the light of the world in the midst of the darkness of winter."