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Durham Cathedral

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Architecture

   Durham Cathedral from across the River Wear
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   Durham Cathedral from across the River Wear
   Durham Cathedral's famous Sanctuary Knocker on the North Door
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   Durham Cathedral's famous Sanctuary Knocker on the North Door
   Durham Cathedral silhouetted against the sunset
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   Durham Cathedral silhouetted against the sunset
   Durham Cathedral from nearby
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   Durham Cathedral from nearby
   The Rose Window in the Chapel of the Nine Altars.
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   The Rose Window in the Chapel of the Nine Altars.
   Durham Cathedral's West Towers from the Cloisters
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   Durham Cathedral's West Towers from the Cloisters
   The Nave in 1890.
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   The Nave in 1890.

   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, County Durham, North East England, was founded in
   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 7th 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
   66 m tall tower, from where a fine view of Durham and the surrounding
   area can be enjoyed.

   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-19th 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

   Ground plan of Durham Cathedral
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   Ground plan of Durham Cathedral

Saxon

   The seed of Durham takes its origins from the Diocese of Lindisfarne,
   set up by Saint Aidan at the behest of King Oswald 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 of Lindisfarne 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,
   transferring St Cuthbert's relics wherever they went. The diocese of
   Lindisfarne remained itinerant until AD 882 when a community was
   established in Chester-le-Street. The see had its seat here until AD
   995 further incursions once again caused the monks to move with the
   relics. According to local legened, 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, Aldhune, had strong family
   links with the earls.

   Initially, a very simple temporary structure was built to house the
   relics of Cuthbert made from nearby trees. The shrine was then
   transfered to a sturdier, probably wooden, building known as the White
   Church. This church was then itself replaced three years later in AD
   998 by a stone building also known as the White Church; by AD 1017 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 priviliges and much land to the Durham
   community. The defendable position, flow of money from prilgrims 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

   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 (who also built
   Flamwell Bridge, the first crossing of the River Wear, in the town).
   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 to 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 green 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, the latter of whose tombs 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 Scots POWs from the Battle of Dunbar (Sept 3, 1650). As many
   as five thousand 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 Scots POWs were shipped to Berwick, Maine in December 1650.

   The Chapel of the Nine Altars features a large rose window originally
   from the 1600s and rebuilt in the 18th 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

   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" ( View full report (PDF)).

   Today, the Cathedral remains seat of the Bishop of Durham, an Anglican
   church in the diocese 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.

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

   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
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_Cathedral"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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