“If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments”. Composer: Thomas Tallis.

 

“If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments”. 

Composer: Thomas Tallis. 

Sung By: Tenebræ. 

Director Of Music: Nigel Short.

Available On YouTube

HERE

. . . and, for comparison . . .

“If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments”. 

Composer: Thomas Tallis. 

Sung By: The Tallis Scholars.

Director Of Music: Peter Phillips.

Available On YouTube

HERE

“Ave Maria”. A Tribute To The Blessed Virgin Mary During Her Month Of May.

“Ave Maria”.

A Tribute To The Blessed Virgin Mary 

During Her Month Of May.

Available On YouTube

HERE

Saint William Of Gellone (755 A.D. - 814 A.D.)

“The Clothing” of Saint William of Gellone, also known as Guillaume d’Orange,  also known as William of Aquitaine.

Artist: Guercino (1591 - 1666).

Date: 1620.

Collection:

Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna.

Source/Photographer: Pinacoteca Bologna.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

William of Gellone (755 A.D. - 814 A.D.), the Mediæval William of Orange,[1] was the 2nd Duke of Toulouse from 790 A.D. until 811 A.D. 

In 804 A.D., he Founded the Abbey of Gellone. He was Canonised a Saint in 1066 by Pope Alexander II.[2]

In the 10th Century or the 11th-Century,[3] a Latin hagiography, the “Vita Sancti Willelmi”, was composed. 

Saint William Of Gellone.

Artist: Antonio de Pereda (1611–1678).

Date: 1671.

Collection:

Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.

Source/Photographer:

XAF09dAdI8UbuQ at Google Cultural Institute.

(Wikimedia Commons)

By the 12th-Century, William’s legend had grown. He is the hero of an entire cycle of Chansons de Geste, the earliest of which is the Chanson de Guillaume of about 1140. 

In the Chansons, he is nicknamed Fièrebrace (Fierce, or, Strong Arm)[4] due to his apparent strength, and the “Marquis au Court Nez” (Margrave with the Short Nose) as the result of an injury suffered in battle with a giant.

William was born in North France, in the Mid-8th-Century, to Thierry IV, Count of Autun, and his wife Aldana.[5] He was a relative of Charlemagne.

In 804 A.D., he Founded the Abbey in Gellone (now Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert), near Lodève in the Diocese of Maguelonne. 

Saint William of Gellone.

Available on YouTube

HERE

He granted property to Gellone and placed the Monastery under the general control of Benedict of Aniane, whose Monastery was nearby.[7] 

Among his gifts to the Abbey that he Founded, was a piece of the True Cross, a present from his cousin, Charlemagne. 

Charlemagne had received the Relic from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, according to the “Vita” [Editor: “The Life”] of William.

In 806 A.D., William retired to Gellone as a Monk, and died there[7] on 28 May 814. When he died, it was said the Bells at Orange rang on their own accord.

16th-Century Stained-Glass Window in the Catholic Church 

of Saint-Martin, Montmorency, France, depicting Saint William of Montmorency and Saint William of Aquitaine.

Bleiglasfenster (16. Jahrhundert), katholischen Pfarrkirche Saint-Martin, Montmorency, Frankreich. Guillaume de Montmorency und der hl. Wilhelm von Aquitanien.

Photo: 22 June 2011.

Source: Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence.

Author: Reinhardhauke

(Wikimedia Commons)

Gellone remained under the control of the Abbots of Aniane. It became a subject of contention, however, as the reputation of William grew. 

So many Pilgrims were attracted to Gellone, that his corpse was exhumed from the modest site in the Narthex and given a more prominent place under the Choir, to the intense dissatisfaction of the Abbey of Aniane. 

A number of forged documents and assertions were produced on each side that leave details of actual history doubtful. 

Gellone Abbey was a major stop for Pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. Its Late-12th-Century Romanesque Cloister, systematically dismantled during the French Revolution, found its way to The Cloisters in New York. 

The Sacramentary of Gellone, dating to the Late-8th-Century, is a famous manuscript.

Saint Augustine Of Canterbury. Archbishop. Confessor. Feast Day 28 May. White Vestments.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Saint Augustine Of Canterbury.
   Archbishop. Confessor.
   Feast Day 28 May.

Double.

White Vestments.

Illustration: 

FLORIDA CENTER FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

“Saint Augustine of Canterbury”:

A Talk By Fr. Marcus Holden,

during “A Day With Mary”.

Available on YouTube

HERE

The ruins of Saint Augustine's Abbey,

with Canterbury Cathedral in the background.

Photo: 20 October 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Nessy-Pic

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Sanctoral Cycle Celebrates today The Feast of another son of Saint Benedict, who, filled with The Holy Ghost, like The Apostles, was sent to Great Britain by Saint Gregory, in 596 A.D., with forty Monks of his Community, in order to convert to Christ the people of that Country (Collect).

Wherefore, the Gospel recalls the seventy-two Disciples whom Jesus sent to Preach The Kingdom of God, and the Epistle alludes to The Apostolate of Saint Paul, who was busy night and day Preaching the Gospel of God.

Received by King Ethelbert, at Canterbury, Kent, the Capital of his Kingdom, Augustine built a Monastery there and later on established there his Episcopal Seat (Introit). The example of his life, added to his Preaching and Miracles, brought the King over to The True Faith, and Saint Augustine Baptised over ten thousand Anglo-Saxons one Christmas Day. This "Apostle of England" died in the year 604 A.D.

Let us ask, through the intercession of Saint Augustine, to bring back erring hearts to the unity of Christian Truth (Collect).

Mass: Sacerdotes tui.

Illustration: 

FLORIDA CENTER FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

The Web-Site of

“A Day With Mary” can be found

HERE

The Most Beautiful Marian Hymns For The May Devotions. Die Schönsten Marienlieder Für Die Maiandacht.

The Most Beautiful Marian Hymns For The May Devotions.

Die Schönsten Marienlieder Für Die Maiandacht.

👑 Klassische Kirchenlieder.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Léonin And Perotin. 12th-Century French Composers Of Polyphonic Chanting.

Notre-Dame Cathedral and Paris in the 

background of a 1452 – 1460 manuscript.

Artist: Jean Fouquet (1410–1478).

Title: Heures d’Étienne Chevalier.

Collection: 

Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Source/Photographer: 

http://expositions.bnf.fr/

fouquet/grand/f117.htm (1)

https://www.metmuseum.org/fr/

art/collection/search/459207 (2)

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Léonin (Leoninus, Leonius, Leo), active circa 1163–1190,[1] was the first known significant Composer of Polyphonic Organum. 

He was probably French, probably lived and worked in Paris at Notre-Dame Cathedral, and was the earliest member of the Notre Dame School of Polyphony and the Ars Antiqua style who is known by name, thanks to the writer known as Anonymous IV. 

Square notes in Pérotin’s “Salvatoris Hodie”.

“Novus Adam Natus Est”. From “Magnus Liber Organi”.

Date: 13th-Century.

Source: Centennial Library, Cedarville University

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Though no further identification is certain, the name “Leoninus” and its Latin diminutive “Leo” have the French equivalents Léonin/Léo.

All our knowledge about him starts from the writing of a 13th-Century student at the Cathedral known as “Anonymous IV”, an Englishman who left a treatise on theory and who mentions Léonin as the composer of the “Magnus Liber”, the “Great Book” of Organum.

“Viderunt Omnes”.

Leonin:

12th-Century French Composer.

Organum Duplum.

The Early Music Consort Of London.

David Munrow.

Available On YouTube

HERE

People say that Master Leoninus was the best Organista (Composer/Singer of Organum), and that he composed the great “Organum Book of Graduals and Antiphons” in order to expand the Divine Service.

The “Organum Book of Graduals and Antiphons” remained in use until the time of the great Composer, Perotin, [Editor: Late-12th-Century] who abridged it and composed Clausules and Sections that were many in number and better, because he was the best Discantor (Composer/Singer of Descant), and better than Leoninus. But this is not said for the subtlety of his Organum. [3]

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s reconstruction of the

Mediæval Choir of Notre Dame de Paris (1856).

Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th-Century to 

16th-Century (1856) by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814 - 1879).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Much of the “Magnus Liber” (as it is reconstructed from later manuscripts) is devoted to Clausulæ — Melismatic portions of Gregorian Chant which were extracted into separate pieces, where the original note values of the Chant were greatly slowed down and a fast-moving Upper Part is superimposed.

Léonin may have been the first composer to use the Rhythmic Modes, and might have invented a notation for them. 

According to W.G. Waite, writing in 1954: “It was Léonin’s incomparable achievement to introduce a rational system of Rhythm into Polyphonic music for the first time, and, equally important, to create a method of notation expressive of this Rhythm.”[4]

The “Magnus Liber” was intended for Liturgical use. According to Anonymous IV: “Magister Leoninus (Léonin) was the finest Composer of Organum; he wrote the great book (“Magnus Liber”) for the Gradual and Antiphoner for the Sacred Service.” 

All of the “Magnus Liber” is for two voices, although little is known about actual performance practice: The two voices were not necessarily Soloists.

The Musicologist, Craig M. Wright, believes that Léonin may have been the same person as a contemporaneous Parisian Poet, Leonius, after whom Leonine verse may have been named. 

This could make Léonin’s use of meter even more significant.[5] Another possible suspect is Henricus Leonellus, who was at the Abbey of Saint Victor, circa 1163 - 1192.[6]

“Viderunt Omnes”.

Perotin:

12th-Century French Composer.

The Early Music Consort Of London.

David Munrow.

Available On YouTube

HERE

Pérotin[n 1] (circa 1200) was a Composer associated with the Notre Dame School of Polyphony, in Paris, and the broader “Ars Antiqua” musical style of High Mediæval Music. 

He is credited with developing the Polyphonic practices of his predecessor Léonin, with the introduction of three- and four-part harmonies.

Other than a brief mention by music theorist Johannes de Garlandia, in his “De Mensurabili Musica”, virtually all information on Pérotin’s life comes from Anonymous IV, a pseudonymous English student who probably studied in Paris.

Perotin: “Alleluia Nativitas”

 from Codex Guelf.

1099.

Date: 13th-Century.

Source:

http://diglib.hab.de/mss/

1099-helmst/max/00043.jpg

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Anonymous IV names seven Titles from a “Magnus Liber” — including “Viderunt Omnes”, “Sederunt Principes” and “Alleluia Nativitas” — that have been identified with surviving works and gives him the title “Magister Perotinus” (“Pérotinus the Master”), meaning he was licensed to teach. 

It is assumed that Perotinus was French and named Pérotin, a diminutive of Peter, but attempts to match him with persons in contemporary documents remain speculative.

Pérotin, about whom little is known, most likely lived around the end of the 12th-Century and beginning of the 13th-Century and is presumed to have been French.[1] 

The closest thing to a contemporary account of his life comes from two much later reporters: A brief mention attributed to the Music Theorist, Johannes de Garlandia[n 2] (circa 1270 – 1320) in his “De Mensurabili Musica”,[3][4][5] and four mentions[6] in the works of a Late-13th-Century English student known as Anonymous IV. 

At one stage Anonymous IV was thought to be a pupil of Johannes de Garlandia, but this is unlikely,[4] and the name is a misnomer, derived from the title of notes by Charles-Edmond-Henri de Coussemaker, Anonymus IV. 

These were probably notes taken by the student in a lecture.[7][8]

Rochester Cathedral (“The Cathedral Church Of Christ And The Blessed Virgin Mary”). The Seat Of The Anglican Bishop Of Rochester, The Second-Oldest Bishopric In England After Canterbury.

Rochester Cathedral,

Kent, England.

Photo: 6 December 2009.

Source: 2006SweepsCath1.JPG

Author: 2006SweepsCath1.JPG:

User:ClemRutter.

Derivative work: SilkTork

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Rochester Cathedral (The Cathedral Church of Christ and The Blessed Virgin Mary), is an Anglican Church of Norman Architecture in Rochester, Kent.

The Church is the Cathedral of The Diocese of Rochester, in The Church of England, and The Seat (“Cathedra”) of The Bishop of Rochester, the second-oldest Bishopric in England after that of The Archbishop of Canterbury. The edifice is a Grade I-Listed Building (number 1086423).[1][2]

The Rochester Diocese was Founded by Saint Justus, one of the Missionaries who accompanied Augustine of Canterbury to convert the pagan Southern English to Christianity in the Early-7th-Century A.D.

A Visit To Rochester, Kent.

Available on YouTube

HERE

As the first Bishop of Rochester, Saint Justus was granted permission by King Æthelberht of Kent to establish a Church dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle (like the Monastery at Rome, where Saint Augustine and Justus had set out from on their journey to England) on the site of the present Cathedral, which was made the Seat of a Bishop.

The Cathedral was to be served by a College of Secular Priests and was endowed with land, near the City, called Priestfields.[3][a][b]

[For many years, the reason why the Number 3 Bell, 

in the Tower of Rochester Cathedral, bears the inscription “U.S.S. Pittsburgh in Memory of 1920” was a mystery.[j] However, a Letter from James W. Todd, Officer Commanding U.S.S. Pittsburgh, was published in The Chatham News on 

17 December 1920.

In it, he thanks the Dean of Rochester for various events during the two-and-a-half months that the U.S.S. Pittsburgh was in Dry-Dock at Chatham [near Rochester].

He enclosed a cheque for £52 10s to pay for the re-casting of the Bell and discussed the inscription on the Bell.[83]]

Under the Roman system, a Bishop was required to establish a School for the training of Priests.[4] 

To provide the “Upper Parts” for music in the Services, a Choir School was required.[5] Together, these formed the genesis of the Cathedral School which, today, is represented by The King's School, Rochester. The quality of Chorister training was praised by Saint Bede.[6]

The original Cathedral was forty-two feet (thirteen metres) high and twenty-eight feet (eight metres) wide. 

The Apse of the original Cathedral is marked in the current Cathedral on the floor, and “Setts [Editor: “Setts” are rectangular quarried stones used in paving] outside the current Cathedral show the line of the previous Cathedral’s walls.

Credit for the construction of the building goes to King Æthelberht, rather than Saint Justus. Saint Bede describes Saint Paulinus’ burial as “in the Sanctuary of the Blessed Apostle Andrew, which Æthelberht Founded, likewise he built the City of Rochester.”[c][7]

King Æthelberht died in 617 A.D., and his successor, Eadbald of Kent, was not a Christian. Saint Justus fled to Francia [Editor: Modern-day France] and remained there for a year before he was recalled by the King.[8]

In 644 A.D., Ithamar, the first English-born Bishop, was Consecrated at Rochester Cathedral[d]. Bishop Ithamar Consecrated Deusdedit as the first Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury on 26 March 655 A.D.[9]

The Cathedral suffered much from the ravaging of Kent by King Æthelred of Mercia in 676 A.D. So great was the damage, that Bishop Putta retired from the Diocese and his appointed successor, Cwichelm, gave up The See “because of its poverty”.[10]

In 762 A.D., the local Overlord, Sigerd, granted land to the Bishop, as did his successor Egbert.[e][11] The Charter is notable as it is confirmed by Offa of Mercia as Overlord of the local Kingdom.

Following the Norman Invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror granted the Cathedral and its estates to his Half-Brother, Odo of Bayeux. 

Odo misappropriated the resources and reduced the Cathedral to near-destitution.

The building itself was ancient and decayed. During the Episcopate of Siward (1058 – 1075), it was Served by four or five Canons “living in squalor and poverty”.[12] 

One of the Canons became Vicar of Chatham and raised sufficient money to make a gift to the Cathedral for the Soul and burial of his wife, Godgifu.[13]

Mediæval Priory.

Gundulf's Church.

Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, brought Odo to account at The Trial of Penenden Heath (circa 1072). Following Odo’s final fall, Gundulf was appointed as the first Norman Bishop of Rochester in 1077. The Cathedral and its lands were restored to the Bishop of Rochester.

Gundulf’s first undertaking in the construction of the new Cathedral seems to have been the construction of the Tower, which today bears his name. 

In about 1080, he began construction of a new Cathedral to replace Saint Justus’s Church. He was a talented Architect who probably played a major part in the design of the works he commissioned.

The original Cathedral had a Presbytery of six Bays, with Aisles of the same length. The four Eastern Bays stood over an Undercroft, which forms part of the present Crypt. 

To the East, was a small projection, probably for the Silver Shrine of Bishop Paulinus, the first Bishop of York, which was Translated there from the old Cathedral.[f]

The Transepts were 120 feet long, but only fourteen feet wide. With such narrow Transepts, it is thought that the Eastern Arches of the Nave abutted the Quire Arch.[14] 

To the South, another Tower (of which nothing visible remains) was built.

There was no Crossing Tower.[15] 

The Nave was not completed at first. Apparently designed to be nine Bays long, most on the South Side, but only five Bays to the North were completed by Gundulf.

The Quire was required by the Priory and the South Wall formed part of its buildings. It has been speculated that Gundulf simply left the Citizens to complete the Parochial part of the building.[16] 

Gundulf did not stop with the fabric, he also replaced the Secular Chaplains with Benedictine Monks, obtained several Royal Grants of Land and proved a great benefactor to his Cathedral City.

In 1078, Gundulf Founded Saint Bartholomew's Hospital, just outside the City of Rochester. The Priory of Saint Andrew contributed daily and weekly provisions to the Hospital, which also received the offerings from the two Altars of Saint James and of Saint Giles.[17]

During the Episcopates of Ernulf (1115–1124) and John I
(1125–1137), the Cathedral was completed. The Quire was 

re-arranged, the Nave partly rebuilt, Gundulf’s Nave Piers were Cased, and the West End built.

Ernulf is also credited with building the Refectory, Dormitory and Chapter House, only portions of which remain. Finally, John I Translated the body of Bishop Ithamar from the old Saxon Cathedral to the new Norman Cathedral, the whole being dedicated in 1130 (or possibly 1133) by The Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by thirteen Bishops, in the presence of King Henry I, but the occasion was marred by a great fire which nearly destroyed the whole City and damaged the new Cathedral.

It was badly damaged by fires again in 1137 and 1179. One or other of these fires was sufficiently severe to badly damage or destroy the Eastern Arm and the Transepts. Ernulf’s Monastic buildings were also damaged.

Mediæval Remodelling.

Probably from about 1190, Gilbert de Glanville (Bishop 1185–1214) commenced the rebuilding of the East End and the replacement of the Monastic buildings. 

The North Quire Transept may have been sufficiently advanced to allow the burial of Saint William of Perth in 1201; alternatively the Coffin may have lain in the North Quire Aisle until the Transept was ready.

The Cathedral was then looted in 1215 by the forces of King John during the Siege of Rochester Castle. Edmund de Hadenham recounts that there was not a Pyx left “in which the Body of The Lord might rest upon the Altar”.[14]

However, by 1227, the Quire was again in use when the Monks made their Solemn Entry into it. The Cathedral was re-dedicated in 1240 by Bishop Richard Wendene (also known as Richard de Wendover), who had been Translated from Bangor.[14][18]

The Shrines of Saint Paulinus and Saint William of Perth, along with the Relics of Saint Ithamar, drew Pilgrims to the Cathedral. Their offerings were so great that both the work mentioned above and the ensuing work could be funded.

Unlike the Abbeys of the period (which were led by an Abbot), the Monastic Cathedrals were Priories, ruled over by a Prior, with further support from the Bishop.[19] 

Rochester and Carlisle (the other impoverished See) were unusual in securing the promotion of a number of Monks to be Bishop.

Seven Bishops of Rochester were originally Regular Monks between 1215 and the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1538).[20] 

A consequence of the Monastic attachment was a lack of patronage at the Bishop’s disposal. By the Early-16th-Century, only four per cent of the Bishop’s patronage came from non-Parochial sources.[21] The Bishop was, therefore, chronically limited in funds to spend on the non-Monastic part of the Cathedral.

The next phase of the development was begun by Richard de Eastgate, the Sacrist. The two Eastern Bays of the Nave were cleared, and the four large Piers, to support the Tower, were built. 

The North Nave Transept was then constructed. The work was nearly completed by Thomas de Mepeham, who became the Sacrist in 1255. 

Not long afterwards, the South Transept was completed and the two Bays of the Nave nearest the Crossing rebuilt to their current form. The intention seems to have been to rebuild the whole Nave, but probably lack of funds saved the Late-Norman work.

The Cathedral was desecrated in 1264 by the troops of Simon de Montfort, during Sieges of the City and Castle. It is recorded that Armed Knights rode into the Church and dragged away some refugees. Gold and Silver were stolen and documents destroyed. Some of the Monastic buildings were turned into Stables.[22]

A year later, Simon de Montfort fell at The Battle of Evesham to the forces of King Henry III, led by Henry’s son, the future King Edward I. 

Later, in 1300, King Edward I passed through Rochester on his way to Canterbury and is recorded as having given Seven Shillings (35 Pence) at the Shrine of Saint William of Perth, and the same amount the following day. During his return, he again visited the Cathedral and gave a further Seven Shillings at each of the Shrines of Saint Paulinus and Saint Ithamar.

The new Century saw the completion of the new Decorated Work with the original Norman Architecture. The rebuilding of the Nave being finally abandoned. Around 1320, the South Transept was altered to accommodate the Altar of The Virgin Mary.

There appears to have been a Rood Screen thrown between the two Western Piers of the Crossing. A Rood Loft may have surmounted it.[23] Against this Rood Screen, was placed the Altar of Saint Nicholas, the Parochial Altar of the City.

The Citizens demanded the right of entrance by day or night to what was, after all, their Altar. There were also crowds of strangers passing through the City. The friction broke out as a Riot in 1327, after which, the strong Stone Screens and Doors, which wall off the Eastern End of the Church from the Nave, were built.[24]

The Priory, itself, was walled off from the City at this period. An Oratory was established in “Angulo Navis” (“in the corner of the Nave”) for the Reserved Sacrament; it is not clear which corner was being referred to, but Dr Palmer[25] argues that the Buttress against the North-West Tower Pier is the most likely setting.

He notes the Arch filled in with rubble on the Aisle Side; and, on the Nave Side, there is a Scar Line, with lower quality Stonework below. The Buttress is about four feet (one metre) thick, enough for an Oratory. 

Palmer notes that provision for the Reservation of Consecrated Hosts was often made to the North of the Altar, which would be the case here.

The Central Tower was at last raised by Hamo de Hythe in 1343, thus essentially completing the Cathedral. 

Bells were placed in the Central Tower (see Bells Section, below). The Chapter Room Doorway was constructed at around this time. The Black Death struck England in 1347–1349. From then on, there were probably considerably more than twenty Monks in the Priory. [26]

The modern paintwork of the Quire Walls is modelled on artwork from the Middle Ages. Gilbert Scott found remains of painting behind the Wooden Stalls during his restoration work in the 1870s. The painting is therefore part original and part authentic. The Lions and Fleurs-de-Lis reflect King Edward III’s victories, and assumed Sovereignty over the French.

In 1356, The Black Prince defeated King John II of France at Poitiers and took him prisoner. On 2 July 1360, King John II passed through Rochester on his return from France and made an offering of sixty Crowns (£15) at the Church of Saint Andrew.[27]

The Oratory, provided for the Citizens of Rochester, did not settle the differences between the Monks and the City. 

The eventual solution was the construction of Saint Nicholas' Church by the North Side of the Cathedral. A doorway was knocked through the Western End of the North Aisle (since walled up) to allow Processions to pass along the North Aisle of the Cathedral before leaving by the Great West Door.[27][28]

In the Mid-15th-Century, the Clerestory and Vaulting of the North Quire Aisle were completed and new Perpendicular Period Windows inserted into the Nave Aisles. 

Possible preparatory work for this is indicated in 1410–1411 by the Bridge Wardens of Rochester, who recorded a gift of Lead from the Lord Prior.

The Lead was sold on for forty-one Shillings [Editor: Approximately £1,700, today].[g][29] In 1470, the Great West Window at the Cathedral was completed and finally, around 1490, what is now The Lady Chapel was built.[27]

Rochester Cathedral, although one of England’s smaller Cathedrals, displays styles of Romanesque architecture and Gothic architecture.[30]

In 1504, Saint John Fisher was appointed Bishop of Rochester. Although Rochester was by then an impoverished See, Fisher elected to remain as Bishop for the remainder of his life. He had been tutor to the young Prince Henry and, on the Prince’s accession as King Henry VIII, Fisher remained his staunch supporter and mentor. He figured in the anti-Lutheran policies of Henry right up until The Divorce Issue and the split from Rome in the Early-1530s.

Fisher remained true to Rome and, for his defence of the Pope, was elevated to a Cardinal in May 1535. Henry was angered by these moves and, on 22 June 1535, Cardinal Fisher was beheaded on Tower Green.

King Henry VIII visited Rochester on 1 January 1540, when he met Anne of Cleves for the first time, and was “greatly disappointed”.[31] 

Whether connected or not, the old Priory of Saint Andrew was dissolved by Royal Command later in the year; one of the last Monasteries to be Dissolved.

Modern Foundation.

Henrician Settlement.

The Post-Dissolution Foundation was a Dean, six Prebendaries, six Minor Canons, a Deacon, a Sub-Deacon, six Lay Clerks, a Master of the Choristers, eight Choristers, an Upper-Master and an Under-Master of the Grammar School, twenty Scholars, six Poor Men, a Porter (who was also to be a Barber), a Butler, Chief Cook and Assistant Cook.

Four Scholars (two each at Oxford and Cambridge Universities) were supported. The Deacon and Sub-Deacon disappeared during The English Reformation, the Butler and Cooks went when there was no longer a Common Board.[32]

Nicholas Ridley was Consecrated Bishop of Rochester in 1547 during the Reign of King Edward VI. During his time at Rochester, he directed that the Altars in the Churches of his Diocese should be removed and Tables put in their place to Celebrate The Lord’s Supper.[h]

In 1548, he helped Thomas Cranmer compile The Book of Common Prayer and, in 1549, he was one of the Commissioners who investigated Bishops Stephen Gardiner and Edmund Bonner and agreed that they should be removed from Office.

In 1550, he was Translated to The Diocese of London; three years later, Ridley was involved in the plot to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne in preference to the Roman Catholic Queen Mary. The plot failed and Ridley paid the price; he was burnt at the stake for Treason on 16 October 1555.

The Cathedral suffered a steep decline after The Dissolution of The Monasteries in the 16th-Century, during which time its estates were confiscated by The Crown, and it became dilapidated and fell into disrepute. Samuel Pepys, the Diarist, would later dismiss it as a “shabby place”.[33]

Rochester’s location beside Watling Street did, however, mean that there continued to be a string of notable visitors. Most famously, Queen Elizabeth I stayed in Rochester for four days in 1573, attending Divine Service in the Cathedral on 19 September 1573.

In 1606, King James I and VI and his brother-in-law, King Christian IV of Denmark, visited Rochester, accompanied by his family (Queen Anne and Prince Henry). 

James was accommodated at the Bishop’s Palace and the whole party attended a Sunday Service led by Bishop William Barlow.

William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, visited the Cathedral in 1633 and complained about its general state, in particular that it “suffered much for want of glass in the windows”.[34] 

By the following year, the defects had been mainly remedied (apart from some of the glass), the excuse being that the backlog had built up due to money (£1,000) being spent on “making of the Organs”.[34] 

Laud accepted this and required completion, noting among other items that the Bells and their frame needed to be put into good order (see below; in 1635, one Bell was re-cast).[35]

In 1635, the Cathedral was described as: “small and plaine, yet it is very lightsome and pleasant: her [the Cathedral’s] Quire is neatly adorn’d with many small Pillars of Marble; her Organs, though small, yet are they rich and neat; her Quiristers, though but few, yet orderly and decent”. 

The author then describes the various monuments “divers others also of antiquity, so dismembred, defac’d and abused”.[36] 

The reference to the monuments is particularly relevant, for this was six years before the despoliation of the Cathedral by Parliamentarian Soldiers in the wake of The English Civil War.

In 1641, John Evelyn paid his first visit to the Cathedral, as recorded in his Diary: “The 19th we rod to Rochester, and having seene the Cathedrall”.[37]

Civil War.

The Official Record runs: “On Wednesday, being Saint Bartholomew Day [Editor: 24 August], we marched forth, some of our souldiers . . . went to the Cathedrall about 9 or 10 of the clock, in the midst of their superstitious worship, with their singing men and boyes; they . . . went about the work they came for. 

First, they removed the Table to its place apointed, and then tooke the seat which it stood upon . . . and brake that all to pieces; . . . they pluckt down the rails and left them for the poore to kindle their fires; and so left the Organs to be pluckt down when we came back again, but it appeared before we came back they took them downe themselves”.[38]

Post-Restoration, the relative lack of damage was noted, in particular the “monuments of the dead” were not defaced, although one John Wyld (a Freeman and Shoemaker of Rochester) was accused of taking down and selling Iron and Brass from some tombs. 

Thomas Fairfax’s Troops stabled their horses in the Quire, as in other Cathedrals. Although no structural damage seems to have occurred, several Pits were dug in the Nave floor.[39]

Shortly after The Restoration, Samuel Pepys visited Rochester Cathedral on his way between London and Chatham Dockyard. 

The Cathedral had fallen into disrepair during The Commonwealth and Pepys observed it was “now fitting for use, and the Organ then a-tuning”.[40] By 1662, £8,000 had been spent and a further £5,000 for repairs were outstanding.

The Joint Diocesan Registrar to the Bishops from 1629 until 1671 was Peter Stowell. Under The Commonwealth, his loyalty had cost him both fines and his liberty. He spent his own money re-covering various books and fittings, as well as spending £100 on Flooring the Church from the Great West Door to the Pulpitum.[41]

The Dean of Rochester led Prayers in memory of French Vice-Admiral Jean-Claude de La Robinière who was killed in enemy action by the Spanish-Dutch Navy in 1667.[42][43]

In 1770, Archdeacon John Warner oversaw the removal of Seats from the Chancels, with Communion Tables set up and Railed “as formerly”, a notably early re-adoption of the Railed Altar.[44]

The Cathedral fabric required continuous care: In 1664, the South Aisle was re-cased and, in 1670, forty feet of the North Aisle had to be rebuilt.[41] 

In 1679, the Spire was in a dangerous state and an Architect, Samuel Guy, reported on it. He reported that £1,000 of work was needed; however, a few months later, a Westminster Carpenter, Henry Fry, took a different view; some Lead work and the repair of one Beam was sufficient. £160 was spent on the Organ.

In 1705, work started to re-Lead the Roof, completed by 1724. In 1730, the old Ringers’ Loft above the Quire Steps was removed and the Crossing was Vaulted. 

Between 1742 and 1743, major work was undertaken in the Quire, sufficiently disruptive that the Dean and Chapter used nearby Saint Nicholas’ Church. 

In 1749, the Steeple had to be rebuilt and, between 1765 and 1772, the West Front Towers were rebuilt.[45]

The Cathedral’s South Quire Aisle and Transept were giving cause for concern, so, in 1751, they were Buttressed, the Roof lightened and supporting Brickwork placed in the Crypt. 

In 1798, Edward Hasted wrote a description of the Cathedral and its environs, published as part of his “The History and Topographical Survey of The County of Kent”. He observed that “time has so far impaired the strength of the materials with which it is built, that, in all likelihood, the care and attention of the present Chapter towards the support of it will not be sufficient to prevent the fall of a great part of it at no great distance of time”.[46] 

A new Organ in 1791 completed the 18th-Century works.

19th-Century Onwards.

From 1825 to 1830, Lewis Nockalls Cottingham served as Diocesan Architect. The Quire and its South Transept were re-Roofed, due to dry rot. The Wall between the main Transept and the South Quire Aisle was still leaning, and the previous Century’s work had actually worsened the situation.

Cottingham built a new External Face which effectively Buttressed the original Wall. The Tower was demolished and rebuilt without a Spire. 

The East End was remodelled by lowering the Altar and removing the old Altar Screen. Various Windows and Arches were opened up and, in one of them, the tomb of John de Sheppey was discovered.[47]

Cottingham remained in charge for the next phase of restoration. From 1840, the Pulpit and Bishop’s Throne were rebuilt. 

The removal of the old Pulpit revealed the Mediæval Wheel of Life painting to be seen at the Eastern End of the Choir Stalls, today. It is said to be the oldest such painting in England.[48] 

A new Ceiling of the Crossing, new Canopy for John de Sheppey’s tomb, cleaning of the whitewash, and the renovation of the Crypt, all occurred at this time.[49]

From 1871 to 1877, the work was entrusted to George Gilbert Scott. The first phase of the work was to repair the Clerestory of the Nave, the Nave could then be used for Services whilst the Quire and Transepts were being worked upon. 

The South Transept was underpinned and the timber Vaulting renovated.

The North Transept had new Western Windows and a new Door. Both had the Masonry renovated. The Gables and Roofs were restored to their old High Pitch Form, based on prints. 

The Organ Screen was restored to its original Plain Form, perhaps a mistake, since there was now no Screen on the other side of the Pulpitum as there had been in the days of Saint Nicholas’ Altar.

The East End Gables were raised, but, due to lack of funds, the Roof has still not been raised to match. The East Window (“ugly” according to Palmer) was replaced with the present Lancet Windows. 

The floor of the Presbytery was lowered and the whole Eastern part of the building re-floored. The Choir and Prebends’ Stalls were renovated, using original material where possible. 

The work uncovered the original Lion (Leopard) and Fleur-de-Lis Heraldic Artwork on which Scott based his decoration of the Quire.[50]

In memory of Robert Scott (sometime Dean), the Quire Screen was decorated with the current statues by J. Loughborough Pearson. Pearson also superintended the 1888 restoration of the Great West Front, parts of the facing of which were separating from the core. 

The Flanking Towers were restored to the original height and form and the North Gable Turret rendered, as a copy of its partner to the South. During this work, the ancient Foundations of the original Church were uncovered and marked out, as noted above.[51]

In 1904, the present Spire was raised upon the Scott Tower, creating the skyline as it is today. During 1998, the Precinct, beyond the Great West Door, was being re-paved when further Saxon Foundations were uncovered. The coloured Setts [Editor: “Setts” are rectangular quarried stones used in paving] define the outline.[52]

For the 1400th Anniversary of the Cathedral, in 2004, a new Fresco was painted by Russian icon-painter Sergei Fyodorov in the North Transept.

The Great West Front is dominated by the central Perpendicular Great West Window. Above the Window, the Dripstone terminates in a small Carved Head at each side. 

The line of the Nave Roof is delineated by a String Course, above which rises the Crenelated Parapet. Below the Window, is a Blind Arcade, interrupted by the top of the Great West Door. Some of the Niches in the Arcade are filled with Statuary.

Below the Arcade, the Door is flanked with Norman recesses. The Door is of Norman work with concentric patterned Arches. 

The semi-circular Tympanum depicts Christ, sitting in glory, in the centre, with Saint Justus and Saint Ethelbert flanking Him on either side of the Doorway.

Supporting the two Saints are Angels and, surrounding them, are the symbols of the Four Evangelists: Saint Matthew (a Winged Man); Saint Mark (a Lion); Saint Luke (an Ox); Saint John (an Eagle).[53] 

On the Lintel, below, are The Twelve Apostles and, on the Shafts supporting it, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.[54] 

Within the Great West Door, there is a Glass Porch, which allows the Doors to be kept open throughout the day.

Either side of the Nave End, rises a Tower, which forms the junction of the Front and the Nave Walls. The Towers are decorated with Blind Arcading and are carried up two Storeys above the Roof and surmounted with Pyramidal Spires. 

The Aisle Ends are Norman. Each has a large Round-Headed Arch containing a Window and, in the Northern Recess, is a small Door. Above each Arch is a Plain Wall surmounted by a Blind Arcade, String Course at the Roof Line, and Plain Parapet.

The Flanking Towers are Norman in the lower part, with the Style being maintained in the later work. Above the Plain Bases, there are four Storeys of Blind Arcading topped with an Octagonal Spire.[55]

The outside of the Nave and its Aisles is undistinguished, apart from the walled-up North-West Door which allowed access from the Cathedral to the adjacent Saint Nicholas Church.[28] 

The North Transept is reached from The High Street via Black Boy Alley, a Mediæval Pilgrimage route. The decoration is Early-English, but re-worked by Gilbert Scott.

Gilbert Scott rebuilt the Gable Ends to the original High Pitch from the Lower Pitch adopted at the start of the 19th-Century. 

The Gable is set back from the Main Wall, behind a Parapet with a Walkway. He also restored the Pilgrim Entrance and opened up the Blind Arcade in the Northern End of the West Wall.[56]

To the East of the North Transept is the Sextry Gate. It dates from King Edward III’s reign and has wooden domestic premises above. The area beyond was originally enclosed, but is now open to The High Street through the Memorial Garden and Gates. Beyond the Sextry Gate is the entrance to Gundulf’s Tower, used as a private back door to the Cathedral.

The North Quire Transept and East End are all executed in the Early-English Style, the lower Windows light the Crypt, which is earlier. 

Adjoining the East End of the Cathedral is the East End of the Chapter Room which is also in the Early-English Style. 

The exact form of the East End is more modern than it appears, being largely due to the work of Gilbert Scott in the 19th-Century. Scott raised the Gable Ends to the original High Pitch, but, for lack of funds, the Roofs have not been raised; writing in 1897, Palmer noted: “They still require Roofs of corresponding Pitch, a need both great and conspicuous”.[57]

On the South Side of the Cathedral, the Nave reaches the Main Transept, and, beyond, a modern Porch. The Aisle between the Transepts is, itself, a buttress to the older Wall behind and supported by a Flying Buttress. 

The unusual position of this Wall is best explained when considering the interior, below. The Southern Wall of the Presbytery is hidden by the Chapter Room, an 18th-century structure.

Cloisters and ancillary buildings.

The Cloister was at the heart of the Monastery and its outlines can be followed in the Cloister Garth. The Eastern part was formed by Bishop Ernulf’s Chapter House and Dormitory, of which now only the Western Wall survives.[58]

South of the Cloister was the Refectory, the work of Prior Helias (also known as Élie) in about 1215. The lower part of the Wall remains and is of massive construction. 

There was a problem to be solved, the older Cloister was bounded by the Roman City Wall. Helias simply drove through it a Doorway and used the Wall as the North Wall of the Refectory.[59]