DURHAM CATHEDRAL

DURHAM Cathedral, high on its peninsular above the River Wear and a World Heritage Site has been named as the world’s most beautiful building.

Its story begins in 995 when Saxon monks fleeing from the Vikings were carrying St Cuthbert’s body from Chester le Street had a vision telling them to bury the saint on Dun Holm or the Hill Island.  They followed a farm girl, looking for her dun cow onto the rocky heights.  Being surrounded on three sides by the river it fitted their vision.

The quickly built the White Church of Stone over Cuthbert’s Tomb.  More and more pilgrims came to pray at his shrine as his fame spread through Western Europe.

Almost a century passed and the Norman conquerors reached the north.  They began to build the present cathedral, believed to be the finest Norman religious building in the world.

Bishop St Carileph (or Calais) laid the foundation stone in 1093 and the first and main phrase of the nave, transept and the four western bays were completed in 40 years.  The rib vaulted church was the architectural innovation of the day.

The Galilee Chapel was added in 1175 and the Western towers in 1217.  The Chapel of the Nine Altars was built and the East End of the Chapel remodelled between 1242 and 1280.  The cathedral has remained virtually unchanged to this day.

Durham Cathedral and its neighbouring castle became the seat of the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham.  These churchmen were the King’s Representatives and the most omnipotent men in the north.

Henry VIII began the Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1541.  This caused considerable damage to the cathedral, including the loss of some altars and the breaking of much of the stained glass windows.  It was at this time that the shrines of St Cuthbert and St Bede were opened and the Lindisfarne Gospels were stolen and taken to London.

Work which began on the beautification of the cathedral was halted during the English Civil War, a period which saw both neglect and destruction of the building’s fabric and its artifacts.

Urgent work was needed to repair bulging walls and cracks in the vaulting during the 18th Century, followed by improvements and an opening up of the cathedral in the 19th Century.  The marble and alabaster screen and ornate pulpit at the Entrance to the choir were erected during the 1870s

Now the only work is the ongoing conservation and restoration of the cathedral.  Durham’s bells were rehung in a steel frame in 1980.

Despite the outrages of the reformation, St Cuthbert’s tomb is still standing in its original ancient shrine. It was last opened in 1899.  His bones were reburied.  However the earliest of his coffins, his embroidered stole and his pectoral cross were removed and are now on view with other cathedral treasures.

The Sanctuary Knocker on the North Door helped many a medieval fugitive.  Anyone clutching the knocker was given the full protection of the church and allowed to go into voluntary exile or face trial and the full rigours of the law.  The current knocker is a replica of the 12th Century one which is in the Cathedral Treasures Exhibition.

St Bede, England’s earliest historian has his shrine in the Galilee Chapel, following the removal of his remains from Jarrow Monastery.

A bar of Frosterley marble, a local limestone which contains fossil corals, is let into the floor to the east of the font.  This marked the limit of where women were allowed to go in the Pre-Reformation Monastic Church.

The region’s most important industry, coal is remembered by the Miners’ Memorial, dating from 1947 in the nave.

A prominent local and indeed English family, the Nevilles who were Lords of Raby have their tombs in the nave.

The county regiment, the Durham Light Infantry or 68th Foot has its chapel in the South Transept.  Their colours, which were laid up in Durham cathedral, are now stored in boxes in the chapel, due to their delicate condition.

Prior Castell’s Clock, which was restored in 1938 and is a fine example of an early 16th Century clock stands above the South Transept.

The Bishop’s Throne was erected by Bishop Hatfield (1345-81) in the choir and is believed to be the highest bishop’s throne in Christendom.  It now stands over his tomb.

Bishop Anthony Bek (1284-1310) was possibly the most powerful of all the Prince Bishops.  Churchman, soldier and administrator, he was Regent of Scotland for his friend, Edward I.  His other titles included King of Man and Patriarch of Jerusalem.  His tomb is in the Chapel of the Nine Altars.

Though the zealous retainers of Henry VIII and the fanatical followers of Calvin did great damage to Durham’s stained glass, some new windows were installed during the 20th Century.

A large one in the Galilee Chapel pays tribute the three fighting services of the Second World War.

The daily Bread Window t the west of the North door is a modern stained glass window presented to the cathedral by the staff of Marks and Spencers in 1984 to commemorate the company’s centenary.

A Millennium Window in the South Aisle of the Cathedral choir depicting aspects and events in the millennium long history of the diocese of Durham was dedicated in 1997.

The cathedral often stages evening musical recitals and concerts.  Ex-service associations in the county hold their memorial services in the cathedral.

A loop system has been installed in the Choir and Nave for people with impaired hearing.  There is wheelchair access to most of the cathedral and its precincts and the building does have toilets with disabled access.  Durham Cathedral has a touch and hearing centre and large print information sheets are available,

Contact details include 0191 386 4266 with an e-mail address on   The cathedral’s website is on