Description of the attraction
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 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 back to this period. The church of the abbey and the cathedral church at that time was the church of St. John the Baptist, then the episcopal see was moved to nearby 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 abbot 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, most of the building was built in the early and perpendicular Gothic style, the west porch is 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 is built of red sandstone. This stone is an excellent material for a carver, but is 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.
There are almost no traces of early buildings, and the towers of the west 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 mostly from the 19th century, just 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 repositories.
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.
