Durham Cathedral, located in the city of Durham in England, is a cathedral that serves as the seat of the Bishop of Durham. It was built in the Norman era, starting in 1093, and was designed to replace the city’s previous ‘White Church’. The cathedral is home to the Shrine of St Cuthbert, a highly esteemed religious relic. Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
The relics of Durham Cathedral include St Cuthbert’s, which was transported to Durham by Lindisfarne monks in the 800s, St Oswald’s head, and the Venerable Bede’s remains. The Durham Dean and Chapter Library contains sets of early printed books, pre-Dissolution monastic accounts, and three copies of Magna Carta. From 1080 until 1836, the Bishop of Durham held the powers of an Earl Palatine, which included military, civil, and religious leadership to protect the Anglo-Scottish border.
Durham Cathedral’s origins stem from the Diocese of Lindisfarne, founded by Saint Aidan and translated to York in 664. Lindisfarne Priory produced many saints, including St Cuthbert, who was central to the development of Durham Cathedral. After repeated Viking raids, the monks fled from Lindisfarne in 875 and resettled at Chester-le-Street. Further Viking incursions caused the monks to move with their relics until they found themselves on a peninsula formed by a loop in the River Wear, where they established the City of Durham. The simple temporary structure initially built to house St Cuthbert’s relics was replaced twice, with the final building being known as the White Church. Durham became a site of pilgrimage, with King Canute granting the Durham monks many privileges and estates.
The present cathedral was designed and built under William de St-Calais, who was appointed as the first Prince-Bishop in 1080 by King William the Conqueror. He divided the extensive lands of the church between his bishopric and the new Priory of St. Cuthbert at Durham. The monks built the monastic buildings, while the bishop completed the cathedral, which was designed to house the bodies of St. Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede. Construction of the cathedral began in 1093, and the choir and chapter house were completed by 1096. The Galilee Chapel, a Lady chapel, was added at the west end of the cathedral in the 1170s, and the Chapel of the Nine Altars was added in 1228 by Richard le Poore, Bishop of Salisbury. The cathedral towers and central tower were added in the early 13th century, and the central tower was replaced in the 15th century after lightning damage.
The Bishop of Durham was the temporal lord of the palatinate, and the bishop competed for power with the Prior of Durham Monastery, who held his own courts for his free tenants. The Shrine of St Cuthbert was located in the eastern apsidal end of the cathedral and was estimated to be one of the most sumptuous in England.
Today, Durham Cathedral is a popular tourist site, with daily Church of England services and the Durham Cathedral Choir singing daily except for Mondays and holidays. The cathedral received 727,367 visitors in 2019.
Posted by millicand@rocketmail.com on 2022-09-26 05:16:01