Chester Cathedral description and photos - Great Britain: Chester (Topic)

Chester Cathedral description and photos - UK: Chester. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Chester Cathedral.

Photo and description

Chester Cathedral is the cathedral of the Diocese of Chester in the city of Chester, Cheshire. Cathedral, the former church of the Benedictine abbey of St. Verburgi, dedicated to Christ and the Holy Virgin Mary.

It is believed that the Christian Basilica of St. Peter and Paul has existed on this site since Roman times. This is supported by the fact that under the Saxons, the chapel of St. Peter was renamed in honor of St. Verburgs. In the 10th century, the remains of the saint were transferred to Chester, and her tomb appeared in the church.

In 1093, a Benedictine abbey was founded here and the oldest surviving buildings date from this period. The abbey church and cathedral church at that time was the church of St. John the Baptist, then the episcopal see was moved to neighboring Coventry.

In the 16th century, during the reforms of King Henry VIII, the monastery was dissolved, and the tomb of St. Verburgi is desecrated. However, in 1541, by order of Henry VIII, the abbey became the cathedral of the Anglican Church, and the last abbot of the monastery of St. Verburgi Thomas Clark - the first rector of the cathedral, which is already called the Cathedral of Christ and the Holy Virgin Mary.

The Norman masonry in the cathedral has practically not survived, b & oacute; Most of the building was built in the style of early and perpendicular Gothic, the west porch - in the Tudor style. In the 19th century, large-scale restoration work was carried out, in the 20th century, the main efforts were aimed at preserving the cathedral.

The cathedral was built of red sandstone. This stone is an excellent material for a carver, but easily destroyed by rain and wind. Therefore, Chester Cathedral is one of those cathedrals in Great Britain, in which the most significant restoration work was carried out.

Traces of early buildings are almost not preserved, and the towers of the western wing were never built, in the architecture of the cathedral there is practically no mixture of different styles and directions, which is so typical for other large temples in Great Britain, and this makes Chester Cathedral unique in its kind.

The cathedral was badly damaged by parliamentary troops during the Civil War, and its stained glass windows are mainly from the 19th century, like the organ. The cathedral contains old gold and silver church utensils of the 17th and 18th centuries. There are also beautiful mosaic floors and marvelous wood carvings. The cathedral's library dates back to the time of the abbey of St. Verburgs, and is open for scientific research and organized visits, but some valuable books have been moved to special depositories.

The decision to build the bell tower was made in 1969. The oldest bells were cast in 1606 and 1626, the newest in 1973. It is curious that the last free-standing bell tower was built in Britain in the 15th century, at Chichester Cathedral.

We also recommend reading National Art Museum of Catalonia (Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluna) description and photos - Spain: Barcelona

Topic: Chester Cathedral description and photos - Great Britain: Chester.