ALPHARETTA—St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Alpharetta celebrated Advent and Christmas with a medieval flourish.

Hundreds of people sat down on the nights of Dec. 5 and 6 to enjoy a madrigal dinner. Traditional Christmas carols and Renaissance-style music were sung between servings of a four-course dinner. Guests were greeted with a royal welcome of trumpet fanfares as they entered the parish hall transformed into a medieval castle. The king and queen offered the wassail toast and the traditional “Boar’s Head Carol” announced the main course.

The dramatic portion of the evening was filled with historic humor and musing melodies as actors brought to life a royal court of comedic characters. The evening ended with a festive choral concert and Christmas carols sung in a candlelit atmosphere.