Durham Cathedral

Template:Parish churchTemplate:Anglican Portal The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, which is almost always referred to as Durham Cathedral, in the city of Durham, England, was founded in AD 1093 and remains a centre for Christian worship today. It is generally regarded as one of the finest examples of a Norman cathedral in Europe and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green, high above the River Wear.

The Cathedral houses the shrine and related treasures of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a seventh century saint, and these are on public view. It is also home to the head of St Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede. One can also climb the 325 steps to the top of the 217 feet (66 m) tall tower, to enjoy an outstanding view of Durham and the surrounding area.

There are regular services sung by the cathedral choir. Except for Mondays, and certain vacations, the choir sing every day.

The bishops of Durham were very powerful prince-bishops up to the mid-nineteenth century. The seat of Bishop of Durham is still the fourth most significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and signposts for the modern day County Durham are nowadays subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."

History

Saxon

The see of Durham takes its origins from the Diocese of Lindisfarne, set up by Saint Aidan at the behest of Oswald of Northumbria around AD 635. The see lasted until AD 664, at which point it was translated to York. The see was then reinstated in AD 678 by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The community at Lindisfarne Priory produced many saints, of which Saint Cuthbert is central to the development of Durham Cathedral.

After repeated Viking raids the monks fled Lindisfarne in AD 875, carrying St Cuthbert's relics with them. The diocese of Lindisfarne remained itinerant until 882, when a community was re-established in Chester-le-Street. The see had its seat here until 995, when further incursions once again caused the monks to move with the relics. According to local legend, the monks followed two milk maids who were searching for a dun (i.e. brown) cow and were led into a peninsula formed by a loop in the River Wear. At this point Cuthbert's coffin became immovable and this was taken as sign that the new shrine should be built here. A more prosaic set of reasons for the selection of the peninsula is its highly defensible position, and that a community established here would enjoy the protection of the Earl of Northumberland, as the bishop at this time, Aldhun, had strong family links with the earls. Nevertheless, the street leading from The Bailey past the Cathedral's eastern towers up to Palace Green is named Dun Cow Lane.

Initially, a very simple temporary structure was built from nearby timber to house the relics of Cuthbert. The shrine was then transferred to a sturdier, probably wooden, building known as the White Church. This church was itself replaced three years later in 998 by a stone building also known as the White Church; by 1018 only the west tower was unfinished. Durham soon became a site of pilgrimage, encouraged by the growing cult of Saint Cuthbert. King Canute was one early pilgrim, granting many privileges and much land to the Durham community. The defendable position, flow of money from pilgrims and power embodied in the church at Durham ensured that a town formed around the cathedral, establishing the early core of the modern city.

Medieval

Ground plan of Durham Cathedral

Legend of the founding of Durham depicted on cathedral

The present cathedral was initially designed and built under the first prince-bishop, William of St. Carilef. Construction began in 1093, although William died before completion of this phase in 1135, passing responsibility to his successor Ranulf Flambard The building is notable for the ribbed vault of the nave roof, with pointed transverse arches supported on relatively slender composite piers alternated with massive drum columns, and flying buttresses or lateral abutments concealed within the triforium over the aisles. These features appear to be precursors of the Gothic architecture of Northern France a few decades later, doubtless due to the Norman stonemasons responsible, although the building is considered Romanesque overall. It was the skilled use of the pointed arch and ribbed vault which made it possible to cover far more elaborate and complicated ground plans than hitherto. The buttressing made it possible both to build taller buildings and to open up the intervening wall spaces to create larger windows.

Saint Cuthbert's tomb lies at the East and was once an elaborate monument of cream marble and gold.

In the twelfth century, Bishop Hugh de Puiset added the Galilee Chapel at the west end of the cathedral. Also known as The Lady Chapel, the Galilee Chapel holds the remains of the Venerable Bede and of Bishop Langley, whose tomb blocked the Great West Door of the cathedral.

William of St. Carilef, Ranulf Flambard, and Hugh de Puiset are all buried in the cathedral's Chapter House, which lies opposite the cloisters and dates from 1140.

The thirteenth century saw the construction of the Chapel of the Nine Altars, at the eastern end of the cathedral, beginning under Richard le Poore (1228-1237). The central tower of this time was destroyed by lightning, so the current tower dates from the fifteenth century.

Dissolution

Cuthbert's tomb was destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII in 1538, but survives as a modest stone affair. Two years later, in 1540, the Benedictine monastery at Durham was dissolved, although the cloisters are well preserved architecturally, and its last prior -- Hugh Whitehead -- became the cathedral's first dean.

1600-1900

In 1650, Durham Cathedral was converted into a prisoner-of-war camp and held Scottish prisoners after the Battle of Dunbar (September 3, 1650). As many as 5000 prisoners died en route to the cathedral or while there. Their bodies were buried in unmarked graves. The survivors were shipped to the West Indies, Virginia, and Massachusetts. One hundred and fifty Scottish prisoners were shipped to Berwick, Maine in December 1650.

The Chapel of the Nine Altars features a large seventeenth-century rose window, rebuilt in the eighteenth century, and a statue of William Van Mildert, the last prince-bishop (1826-1836) and driving force behind the foundation of Durham University.

20th century and beyond

Durham Castle and Cathedral

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv, vi
Reference	370
Inscription	1986 (10th Session)

In 1986, the Cathedral, together with the nearby Castle, became a World Heritage Site. The UNESCO committee classified the Cathedral under criteria C (ii) (iv) (vi), reporting, "Durham Cathedral is the largest and most perfect monument of 'Norman' style architecture in England".

Today, the Cathedral remains the seat of the Bishop of Durham. Durham Cathedral has also been featured in the Harry Potter films as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where it had a spire added onto the top of the famous towers to make it look less prominent. Interior views of the Cathedral were featured in the 1998 film Elizabeth. In 1996 the Great Western Doorway was the setting for Bill Viola's large-scale video installation The Messenger.

Organ and Organists

Organ

Details of the organ from the National Pipe Organ Register

Organists

• 1557 John Brimley
• 1576 William Browne
• 1588 Robert Masterman
• 1594 William Smyth
• 1599 William Browne
• 1609 Edward Smyth
• 1612 Mr Dodson
• 1614 Richard Hutchinson
• 1661 John Foster
• 1677 Alexander Shaw
• 1681 William Greggs

• 1710 James Hesletine
• 1763 Thomas Ebdon
• 1811 Charles E. J. Clarke
• 1813 William Henshaw
• 1862 Philip Armes
• 1907 Rev Arnold D. Culley
• 1933 John Dykes Bower
• 1936 Conrad Eden
• 1974 Richard Lloyd
• 1985 James Lancelot

Quotations

"Durham is one of the great experiences of Europe to the eyes of those who appreciate architecture, and to the minds of those who understand architecture. The group of Cathedral, Castle, and Monastery on the rock can only be compared to Avignon and Prague." - Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England.

"I paused upon the bridge, and admired and wondered at the beauty and glory of this scene...it was grand, venerable, and sweet, all at once; I never saw so lovely and magnificent a scene, nor, being content with this, do I care to see a better." - Nathaniel Hawthorne on Durham Cathedral, The English Notebooks.

"I unhesitatingly gave Durham my vote for best cathedral on planet Earth." - Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island.

"Grey towers of Durham

Yet well I love thy mixed and massive piles

Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Scot

And long to roam those venerable aisles

With records stored of deeds long since forgot."

- Sir Walter Scott, Harold the Dauntless, a poem of Saxons and Vikings set in County Durham.

More pictures

• 
  Durham Cathedral and Castle.
• 
  The Quire in 1890.
• 
  The Gallilee Chapel in 1890.
• The interior
  The interior
• 
  West view from the Main Tower
• 
  View from St Margaret's churchyard
• 
  View from South Street
• 
  View from Prebends Bridge
• 
  The Cathedral Cloisters
• 
  The Cathedral at sunset
• 
  From Durham Students' Union
• 
  Cathedral at sunrise
• 
  Durham Cathedral silhouetted against the sunset
• 
  Durham Cathedral from nearby
• 
  The Rose Window in the Chapel of the Nine Altars.
• 
  The Nave in 1890.

See also

• Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England
• English Gothic architecture
• Romanesque architecture
• Church of England

External links

• Durham Cathedral Website
• Gallery of photos
• Webcam views: zoomed, wide angle
• Voted "Britain's Favourite Building" in BBC Radio 4 poll, 2001
• A history of Durham Cathedral
• A history of Durham Cathedral choristers and choir school
• Adrian Fletcher's Paradoxplace – Durham Cathedral Pages - Photos
• Place Evocation: The Galilee Chapel
• Local History Publications from County Durham Books
• Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter - from Project Gutenberg.

54°46′25″N 1°34′34″W