Durham Cathedral (Part One)

Text and Illustrations taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Durham Cathedral.

Author: Domstu

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and Saint Cuthbert of Durham (usually known as Durham Cathedral) is a Cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the Seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995 A.D., with the present Cathedral being founded in 1093. The Cathedral is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green.

The present Cathedral replaced the 10th-Century "White Church", built as part of a monastic foundation to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The treasures of Durham Cathedral include relics of Saint Cuthbert, the head of Saint Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede. In addition, its Durham Dean and Chapter Library contains one of the most complete sets of early-printed books in England, the pre-Dissolution monastic accounts, and three copies of the Magna Carta.

Durham Cathedral occupies a strategic position on a promontory high above the River Wear. From 1080 until the 19th-Century, the Bishopric enjoyed the powers of a Bishop Palatine, having military as well as religious leadership and power. Durham Castle was built as the residence for the Bishop of Durham. The seat of the Bishop of Durham is the fourth-most-significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and he stands at the right hand of the monarch at coronations. Signposts for the modern-day County Durham are subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."

There are daily Church of England services at the Cathedral, with the Durham Cathedral Choir singing daily except Mondays and when the Choir is on holiday. The Cathedral is a major tourist attraction within the region, the central tower of 217 feet (66 metres) giving views of Durham and the surrounding area.

Durham Cathedral interior.

Photo: August 2010.

Author: Oliver-Bonjoch

(Wikimedia Commons)

The See of Durham takes its origins from the Diocese of Lindisfarne, founded by Saint Aidan at the behest of Oswald of Northumbria, around 635 A.D. The See lasted until 664 A.D., at which point it was translated to York. The See was then re-instated at Lindisfarne in 678 A.D., by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Among the many Saints produced in the community at Lindisfarne Priory, Saint Cuthbert, who was Bishop of Lindisfarne from 685 A.D., until his death on Farne Island in 687 A.D., is central to the development of Durham Cathedral.

After repeated Viking raids, the monks fled Lindisfarne in 875 A.D., carrying Saint Cuthbert's relics with them. The Diocese of Lindisfarne remained itinerant until 882 A.D., when a community was re-established in Chester-le-Street. The See had its Seat here until 995 A.D., 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, Saint Cuthbert's coffin became immovable. This trope of hagiography was offered for a 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.

PART TWO FOLLOWS