Explore the towns of England
 

Welcome to our Oxfordshire Archive. Have fun browsing!

 

Article #205: Winchester Cathedral - England's Most Beautiful Cathedral

(Browse for more articles)

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






1- A- B- C- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10- 11- 12- 13- 14- 15- 16- 17- 18- 19- 20- 21- 22- 23- 24- 25- 26- 27- 28- 29- 30- 31- 32- 33- 34- 35- 36- 37- 38- 39- 40- 41- 42- 43- 44- 45- 46- 47- 48- 49- 50- 51-