Durham Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin, and St Cuthbert of Durham, is a Church of England cathedral located in Durham, England. It serves as the home of the bishop of Durham and is the main church of the diocese of Durham. The cathedral houses the shrines of two important Anglo-Saxon saints, Cuthbert and Bede. Daily services are held at the cathedral, and it welcomed 393,090 visitors in 2024. It is a grade I listed building and is part of the Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site.
The cathedral was built after the Anglo-Saxon Lindisfarne Priory, which was founded around 635 but abandoned in 875 due to Viking attacks. The monks moved to Chester-le-Street in 882 and later relocated to Durham in 995. The cathedral remained a monastery until 1541, after which it was managed by a dean and chapter. The area around the cathedral was part of Durham Castle since the 11th century. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the cathedral held 3,000 Scottish prisoners of war, and 1,700 of them died there.
A large part of the current cathedral was completed between 1093 and 1133, replacing the earlier Anglo-Saxon "White Church." It is a key example of the Romanesque architectural style, and its nave ceiling is the oldest 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 were built around 1200. The east end was expanded in the Early English Gothic style during the 1230s, and the Perpendicular Gothic central tower was built in two stages during the 15th century. Important features include the medieval bishop's throne, Neville screen, Prior Castell's Clock, and the 17th-century choir stalls and font cover created by Bishop Cosin. Many of the original monastic buildings still exist, including the monks' refectory, which now houses part of the cathedral library. This library contains significant collections dating back to the 6th century.
History
The See of Durham began with the Diocese of Lindisfarne, which Saint Aidan founded in about 635 at the request of Oswald of Northumbria. This diocese moved to York in 664. The see was later restarted at Lindisfarne in 678 by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Many saints were connected to Lindisfarne Priory, and the most important was Saint Cuthbert, who served as Bishop of Lindisfarne from 685 until his death in 687. Saint Cuthbert played a key role in the development of Durham Cathedral.
After repeated Viking attacks, the monks left Lindisfarne in 875, taking Saint Cuthbert’s relics with them. The diocese remained mobile until 882, when the monks settled at Chester-le-Street, 60 miles south of Lindisfarne and 6 miles north of Durham. The see stayed in Chester-le-Street until 995, when Viking attacks forced the monks to move again. According to a local story and Saint Cuthbert’s writings, the monks followed two milkmaids searching for a brown cow and arrived at a peninsula formed by the River Wear. There, Saint Cuthbert’s coffin became stuck, signaling that a new shrine should be built on that spot, which became the city of Durham. A more practical reason for choosing the peninsula was its strong defenses and the protection offered by the Earl of Northumbria, with whom the bishop, Aldhun, had family ties. Today, a street near the cathedral is called Dun Cow Lane because of the brown cows that once grazed nearby.
At first, a simple wooden structure was built to hold Saint Cuthbert’s relics. Later, the relics were moved to a stronger wooden building called the White Church. Three years later, in 998, a stone building also named the White Church replaced the wooden one. By 1018, the stone church was nearly complete except for its tower. Durham became a popular pilgrimage site because of the growing devotion to Saint Cuthbert. King Canute visited and gave the monks many privileges and lands. The strong defenses, money from pilgrims, and the power of the church helped a town grow around the cathedral, forming the city’s core.
The current cathedral was designed by William de St-Calais, also known as William of St. Carilef. In 1083, he founded the Benedictine Priory of St. Cuthbert at Durham and replaced the secular canons who had previously managed the church and shrine with monks from Wearmouth and Jarrow. He divided the church’s lands between his bishopric and the new priory and named Aldwin as the first prior.
William de St-Calais destroyed the old Saxon church and, on August 11, 1093, with Prior Turgot of Durham (Aldwin’s successor), laid the foundation stone for the new cathedral. The monks built their own monastic buildings while the bishop oversaw the cathedral’s construction. Stone for the buildings was cut from cliffs below and moved up using winches. The main purpose of the cathedral was to house the remains of Saint Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede.
Since its start, many additions and changes have been made to the cathedral, but much of the original Norman structure remains. Construction began in 1093 at the eastern end. The choir was completed by 1096. When Bishop William of St. Calais died on January 2, 1096, the Chapter House was ready enough to be used as his burial place. In 1104, Saint Cuthbert’s remains were moved with great ceremony to the new shrine in the cathedral. The monks cared for Saint Cuthbert’s shrine until the dissolution of the monasteries.
Work on the nave continued, with its walls finished by 1128 and the high vault completed by 1135. The chapter house was built between 1133 and 1140 (partially destroyed in the 18th century). William of St. Carilef died in 1096 before the cathedral was complete and passed responsibility to his successor, Ranulf Flambard, who also built Framwellgate Bridge, the earliest crossing of the River Wear. Three bishops—William of St. Carilef, Ranulf Flambard, and Hugh de Puiset—are buried in the rebuilt chapter house.
In the 1170s, Hugh de Puiset added the Galilee Chapel at the west end of the cathedral after initial work at the eastern end failed due to ground sinking and cracking. The five-aisled Galilee Chapel functioned as a Lady chapel, with the main west door blocked by an altar to the Virgin Mary during the Medieval period. The door is now blocked by the tomb of Bishop Thomas Langley. The Galilee Chapel also holds the remains of the Venerable Bede. The main entrance to the cathedral is on the northern side, facing the castle.
In 1228, Richard le Poore, Bishop of Salisbury, became the Bishop of Durham after rebuilding Salisbury Cathedral in the Gothic style. At that time, the eastern end of Durham Cathedral needed repairs, and an eastern extension had failed. Le Poore hired architect Richard Farnham to design an eastern terminal where monks could pray together. This became the Chapel of the Nine Altars. In 1250, the cathedral’s original roof was replaced with a vault that remains today.
The cathedral’s towers date from the early 13th century. The central tower was damaged by lightning and replaced in two stages during the 15th century by masons Thomas Barton and John Bell
Architecture
There is some evidence that the aisle of the choir may have had the earliest rib vaults in England, as suggested by John Bilson, an English architect, at the end of the nineteenth century. Later, some scholars argued that other buildings, such as Lessay Abbey in north-west France, may have influenced the development of early rib vaults seen in Durham. Evidence in the clerestory walls of the choir suggests that the high vault had ribs. There is still disagreement between John James and Malcolm Thurlby about whether these rib vaults had four or six parts, and this debate remains unresolved.
The building is known for the ribbed vault of the nave, which includes some of the earliest transverse pointed arches supported by slender composite piers that alternate with large drum columns. The lateral abutments are hidden within the triforium above the aisles. These features may have influenced the development of Gothic architecture in Northern France, possibly because Norman stonemasons worked on the building. However, the structure is generally considered Romanesque. The use of pointed arches and ribbed vaults allowed for more complex designs than before. Buttressing helped builders construct taller structures and create larger windows by opening up wall spaces.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site description includes this comment about the architectural style:
Another United Nations website states that
Saint Cuthbert’s tomb is located at the east end in the Feretory and was once made of cream marble and gold. It remains a place of pilgrimage. Fragments of Saint Cuthbert’s coffin are displayed at the cathedral.
Burials and memorials
The cathedral has been the site of many burials, including those of important people and major saints. These burials also include many religious leaders. Burials include: William de St-Calais, Ranulf Flambard, Geoffrey Rufus, William of St. Barbara, Walter of Kirkham, Robert of Holy Island, and Richard Kellaw, all in the chapter house; Nicholas Farnham; John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville, in the south transept; Robert Neville, Bishop of Durham, in the south aisle; the heart of Robert Stitchill; Bishop Anthony Bek; Thomas Sharp, in the Galilee chapel; Thomas Mangey, in the east transept; Thomas Langley, whose tomb blocked the Great West Door, which led to the construction of two later doors to the north and south; James Pilkington, at the head of Beaumont's tomb in front of the high altar; Alfred Robert Tucker, outside the cathedral; Cyril Alington, Dean of Durham and author; John Robson, canon of Durham; Bishop J. B. Lightfoot; and Stephen Kemble, actor of the Kemble family.
Memorials honor individuals such as Bishop Joseph Butler, Bishop Edward Maltby, John Robert Davison QC MP, and Brigadier General Herbert Conyers Surtees.
Dean and chapter
The cathedral is led by a group called the chapter, which is headed by the dean. Durham is a "New Foundation" cathedral, meaning most members of the chapter do not have specific roles assigned to them, except for the Dean and the Van Mildert Professor of Divinity. Other roles, such as sub-dean, precentor, sacrist, librarian, and treasurer, are chosen by the members of the chapter each year. As of September 2022, the current office holders were: the Dean – Dean-Designate Philip Plyming, who will become Dean on September 16, 2023; the Vice-Dean & Canon Precentor – Michael Hampel (appointed on November 17, 2018; acting dean since September 25, 2022); Canon Chancellor – Charlie Allen (appointed on September 22, 2018); Canon Pastor – Michael Everitt (appointed on September 22, 2019); Van Mildert Professor of Divinity (Durham University) and Residentiary Canon – Simon Oliver (appointed on September 20, 2015).
Music
In the 17th century, Durham Cathedral had an organ made by Smith. This organ was replaced in 1876 by an organ built by "Father" Willis (Henry Willis & Sons), with some of the old pipes later used in the chapel of Durham Castle. From 1880, Harrison & Harrison worked on the organ. It was restored between 1905 and 1935, rebuilt again in 1970 with a new console and the addition of a new section with a classic sound. Further repairs and small changes were made in 1981 and 1996. The organ cases, designed by C. Hodgson Fowler and decorated by Clayton and Bell, were created in 1876 and are located in the choir galleries.
The first recorded organist at Durham Cathedral was John Brimley in 1557. Other important organists have included composers Thomas Ebdon and Richard Hey Lloyd, John Dykes Bower, who edited the Ancient and Modern Revised hymnbook, and David Hill, who served as sub-organist and choral conductor.
The current Master of the Choristers and Organist is Daniel Cook, who took over from James Lancelot in 2017. The Sub-Organist is Joseph Beech.
A regular choir includes adult lay clerks, choral scholars, and child choristers. The child choristers attend the Chorister School. Traditionally, all child choristers were boys, but in November 2009, the cathedral admitted girls for the first time. Boys and girls alternate in singing, except during major festivals like Easter, Advent, and Christmas, when they sing together.
There are ten bells in the central tower, arranged for change ringing in the English style. The heaviest bell, called the tenor, weighs 28 long cwt 0 qr 6 lb (3,142 lb or 1,425 kg) and has a diameter of 590.5 inches (15,000 mm). It is tuned to the note D. Five bells (numbers 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10) are historically significant and were cast in 1693. The other bells were cast in 1780 (bell 3), 1781 (bell 5), 1896 (bell 6), and 1980 (bells 1 and 2).
Film and television
Durham Cathedral has served as a filming location for many movies and television shows. Its unique Romanesque architecture has made it a popular setting for fantasy scenes in big-budget films, but it has also appeared as itself in several television programs. Movies filmed at the cathedral include: Jude (1996); Elizabeth; the first two films in the Harry Potter series, Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets; Snow White and the Huntsman; Avengers: Endgame (2019); and The Old Oak.
Television programs shot at the cathedral include: Treasurehunt (1988); Songs of Praise; The Antiques Roadshow Britain's Best Buildings (2002); Climbing Great Buildings (2010); Great British Railway Journeys (2011); Richard Wilson: On the Road; All Man; Britain's Great Cathedrals; and two adaptations of Catherine Cookson's works, The Tide of Life and The Wingless Bird.
Art, literature and quotations
Durham Cathedral, a poem by Letitia Landon, was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book of 1835. The book included an engraving of a painting of the cathedral's interior by Thomas Allom.
"Durham is one of the great experiences of Europe for those who appreciate and understand architecture. The cathedral, castle, and monastery on the rock are similar to those in Avignon and Prague." – Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England
"Imagine a river valley with wooded sides. The river bends, and on the hillside lies the old town. Nearby, on higher ground, is the castle. Separately, among tall trees, stands the large cathedral with its twin towers. From the bridge, the scene feels like a Romantic dream, like a painting by Schinkel. This morning in the mist, the cathedral was wonderful. It reminded me of the Matterhorn—gigantic, grey, and alone." – Pevsner in a letter to his wife, Lola, during his first English tour in 1930.
"I paused on the bridge and admired the beauty and grandeur of this scene. It was grand, old-fashioned, and peaceful all at once. I have never seen a more lovely and magnificent place, and I do not wish to see anything better." – Nathaniel Hawthorne, The English Notebooks
"With the cathedral at Durham, we reach the greatest masterpiece of Romanesque architecture in England and anywhere else. Entering the cathedral creates an unforgettable architectural experience, one of the finest England has to offer." – Alec Clifton-Taylor, 'English Towns' series on BBC television.
"I confidently voted Durham as the best cathedral in the world." – Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island.
— Walter Scott, Harold the Dauntless, a poem about Saxons and Vikings set in County Durham.