Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the shrines of the Anglo-Saxon saints Cuthbert and Bede. There are daily Church of England services at the cathedral, and it received 727,367 visitors in 2019. It is a grade I listed building and forms part of the Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site.
| Durham Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham | |
Durham Cathedral from the north-west | |
Durham Cathedral Location within Durham | |
| 54°46′25″N 1°34′34″W | |
| Location | Durham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | Broad church |
| Website | durhamcathedral.co.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Cult(s) present | Saint Cuthbert & Saint Bede the Venerable |
| Relics held | Saints Cuthbert, Bede & Oswald |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 6 May 1952 |
| Architectural type | Cathedral |
| Style | Norman/Romanesque, Gothic |
| Years built | 1093–1133, additions until 1490 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 469 feet (143 m) (interior) |
| Nave width | 81 feet (25 m) (incl. aisles) |
| Nave height | 73 feet (22 m) |
| Choir height | 74 feet (23 m) |
| Number of towers | 3 |
| Tower height | 218 feet (66 m) (central tower) 144 feet (44 m) (western towers) |
| Number of spires | 0 (2 on western towers until 1658) |
| Bells | 10 (full circle) |
| Tenor bell weight | 28 long cwt 0 qr 6 lb (3,142 lb or 1,425 kg) |
| Administration | |
| Province | York |
| Diocese | Durham (since 635 as Lindisfarne, 995 as Durham) |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Paul Butler |
| Dean | Philip Plyming |
| Precentor | Michael Hampel (vice-dean) |
| Chancellor | Charlie Allen |
| Canon(s) | Simon Oliver (professor) |
| Pastor(s) | Michael Everitt |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Daniel Cook (organist and master of the choristers) |
| Organist(s) | Joseph Beech (sub-organist) |
| Chapter clerk | Amanda Anderson |
| Lay member(s) of chapter | Cathy Barnes Ivor Stolliday (treasurer) |
| Part of | Durham Castle and Cathedral |
| Criteria | Cultural: ii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 370 |
| Inscription | 1986 (10th Session) |
The cathedral is the successor to the Anglo-Saxon Lindisfarne Priory, which was established c. 635 but abandoned in 875 in the face of Viking raids. The monks settled at Chester-le-Street from 882 until 995, when they moved to Durham. The cathedral remained a monastery until it was dissolved in 1541, since when it has been governed by a dean and chapter. The cathedral precinct formed part of Durham Castle from the eleventh century. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms the cathedral housed 3000 Scottish prisoners of war, 1,700 of whom died in the building.
The present building was substantially completed between 1093 and 1133, replacing the Anglo-Saxon 'White Church'. It is a significant example of the Romanesque architectural style, and the nave ceiling is the earliest surviving example of a pointed rib vault. The Galilee chapel was added to the west end of the cathedral in the 1170s, and the western towers built in approximately 1200. The east end was expanded in the Early English Gothic style in the 1230s, and the Perpendicular Gothic central tower was built in two stages in the fifteenth century. Important furnishings include the medieval bishop's throne and Neville screen, Prior Castell's Clock, and the seventeenth-century choir stalls and font cover installed by Bishop Cosin. Many of the monastic buildings survive; the monks' refectory now contains part of the cathedral library, which holds significant collections dating back to the sixth century.