Durham cathedral

Anglo-Saxon[ edit ] Legend of the founding of Durham depicted on cathedral The see of Durham takes its origins from the Diocese of Lindisfarnefounded by Saint Aidan at the behest of Oswald of Northumbria around The see lasted untilat which point it was translated to York.

It is partly a tale of saints and kings and moving bones, and it begins back in the 7th century. Without any one of these, Durham Cathedral, the mighty Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, and one of the most outstanding examples of medieval Norman Romanesque architecture in Europe, would never have been built; maybe.

St Cuthbert is pretty much the patron saint of north-east England, as northern as Newcastle Brown Ale and kippers in Craster.

What to See at Durham Cathedral

He was probably Anglo-Saxon, born sometime in the s or s AD in what is now the Scottish borders, trained as a monk at Melrose, lived for 19 years as a hermit on the island of Inner Farne, was persuaded to become Bishop of Lindisfarne and died on 20th March AD.

Even in life, Cuthbert was regarded as an exceptionally holy man and associated with miracles of wisdom and healing, which continued after his death. They were astonished to find his body as fresh as a daisy, as though he was merely asleep.

Needless to say, this news provided a considerable fillip to the already established cult of St Cuthbert and encouraged the pilgrims no end. Pilgrims, then as now, can be good business.

The raids continued and some Danes began to put down roots in the area. By AD, the monks had had enough and decided to abandon their home. They eventually found sanctuary near the site of the old Roman fort at Chester-le-Street, staying there for more than a century until, inthe threat of further Danish raids forced them to move, temporarily, to Ripon.

Returning from there, the cart carrying St Cuthbert stuck fast and would not move. As the monks were puzzling over this, a cow-girl came by and asked another maid who also happened to be there if she had seen her lost dun cow.

Yes, replied the second girl, she had seen it heading in the direction of Dunholme — and pointed the way. Here, the girl found her missing cow and the monks constructed a wooden church to house St Cuthbert and built their community around it.

Whitewashed, it was known as Alba Ecclesia, the White Church. Just three years later, the monks moved Cuthbert to a new and larger church, probably built in stone. Unsurprisingly, the cult of Cuthbert ensured that Durham became a place of pilgrimage, and the town grew up around the monastic community.

It also had strategic importance, which William the Conqueror recognised as he took stock of his new kingdom following the Norman victory at Hastings in Inhe ordered the construction of a castle at Durham, as a base both to help control restless English rebels and to defend his territory against marauding Scots.

It was Bishop Carileph who begun the construction of the new, Norman, cathedral inwhich was substantially completed by The Galilee Chapel was added inthe two western towers between and and the Gothic Chapel of the Nine Altars was completed between and InCuthbert was brought into the new cathedral and placed in a marble shrine, studded with jewels and semi-precious stones.

Of course, the opportunity was taken to see how the saint was faring after all this time — and, inevitably, it was again reported that he looked exactly the same as he had years earlier.Durham Cathedral, in the city of Durham in northeast England, was founded in and remains a center for Christian worship today.

The present building dates almost entirely from the 12th century and is widely regarded as the finest example of Norman architecture in Europe.

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10k Followers, Following, Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Durham Cathedral (@durhamcathedral). Durham Cathedral, in the city of Durham in northeast England, was founded in and remains a center for Christian worship today.

The present building dates almost entirely from the 12th century and is widely regarded as . Durham Cathedral: A Living Church. The Cathedral has been in continuous use since its original construction years ago. It remains a place of worship and pilgrimage, and is also an important visitor attraction.

Nov 14,  · We visited the beautiful city of Durham and was everything that we expected. The town of Durham is beautiful with its cobbled stone streets, lots of lovely quirky shops and a nice selection of restaurants to choose from but our main visit was to visit /5(K).

A timeline of Durham Cathedral through the centuries. Find out more about the Benedictine monks, Prince Bishops, and our time as a prison.