Winchester Cathedral -
England's Most Beautiful Cathedral by Robin OBrien
England
has many beautiful cathedrals, but in my opinion, Winchester Cathedral is
without doubt the most beautiful. Its scale, architecture and setting
make it unrivalled. And, if that wasn't enough, the cathedral happens to
be in England's most preserved and picturesque city.
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Winchester has been a place
of importance for over 2 millennia. After the conversion to
Christianity, the people of Wessex built a place of worship on the
sport where the present cathedral now stands. The recorded church is
from about AD 169 when Lucius, 'King of the Britons', converted to
Christianity. He made Winchester is seat of power and the cathedral the
centre of worship for his people.
Not
much is known about the first church; it was destroyed and rebuilt
several times over the next few hundred years as pagan and Christian
warlords fought for control over the area. This era of uncertainty was
finally ended in 635 when king Kynegils defeated the Saxon king,
Cerdic. The king destroyed the pagan temple 'Dagon' and laid the
foundation stones for his Christian church. From that day onwards,
there as been a Christian place of worship on this same spot.
King
Alfred the Great was probably the most famous patron of the cathedral.
Alfred - after many setbacks - defeated the Danes thus preventing the
southern half of England from Viking rule. Upon his victory he was
crowned King of England in the cathedral and made Winchester his home
and capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. Nothing now remains of
Alfred's cathedral.
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Winchester
was once the ancient capital of England and, even after it was surpassed
by London, it remained an important city. Many of the Bishop's of
Winchester were men of importance and wealth. One it's greatest bishops
was William of Wykeham. He became bishop in 1366 and was twice Chancellor
of England, Founder of Winchester College and New College Oxford.
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But perhaps the most famous
bishop of Winchester was St Swithin. Not much is known about him except
that he became bishop in 852. We do know that he died on July 2 862 and
was buried, at his request, in the churchyard so that "the sweet
rain of heaven may fall upon my grave". Later his body was removed
for reburial, which was against his dying wish. Legend has it that it
rained for 40 days. To this present day we have the superstition that
if it rains on St Swithin's day we are in for 40 more wet days.
Building
of the present day cathedral began in 1079. It was built in the baroque
style. The cathedral's diocese once stretched from London to The
Channel Islands. The cathedral was originally occupied by Benedictine
monks, however they were removed during the Reformation; you can still
see parts of the remains of the monastic buildings in the Cathedral
Close.
Central
to the life of the monks was the opus dei (the Work of God), the
regular offering of prayer, which they sang in the choir. This
tradition still carries on at the cathedral. The choir is now comprised
of boys from the Pilgrim's School, which is adjacent to the cathedral.
The Winchester choir now enjoys a world wide reputation for its music.
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Many famous people have been
connected with Winchester College. Queen Mary married Philip of Spain
in the cathedral.
For
people nowadays, the most famous person associated with Winchester
Cathedral is Jane Austen, the novelist. Jane Austen was born in
Hampshire and lived most of her life in the county. She spent the last
year of her life in Winchester. Her tomb is inside the cathedral.
The
power and wealth that once belonged to Winchester Cathedral is still
palpable but today it has a gentile and tranquil character to it. It still
serves as a place of worship for the local population as well as a
beautiful spot in which to picnic in its delightful gardens.
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About
the Author: Follow the links for more information about Winchester Cathedral. You can also find out about
Winchester accommodation - where you can book online - as well as things
to do in Winchester.
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