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Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of the bishop was moved from Selsey.Tim Tatton-Brown and John Crook, ''The English Cathedral'', New Holland (2002), Chichester Cathedral has fine architecture in both the Norman and the
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
styles, and has been described by the architectural critic Ian Nairn as "the most typical English Cathedral". Despite this, Chichester has two architectural features that are unique among England's medieval cathedrals—a free-standing medieval bell tower (or campanile) and double aisles.Alec Clifton-Taylor, ''The Cathedrals of England'', Thames & Hudson (1967) The cathedral contains two rare medieval sculptures, and many modern art works including tapestries, stained glass and sculpture, many of these commissioned by
Walter Hussey John Walter Atherton Hussey (15 May 1909 – 25 July 1985) was an English priest of the Church of England who had a great fondness for the arts, commissioning a number of musical compositions and visual art for the church as well as amassing h ...
(Dean, 1955–77). The city of Chichester, though it retains two main cross streets laid out by the Romans, has always been small enough for the city's entire population to fit inside the cathedral at once, causing Daniel Defoe to comment:
I cannot say much of Chichester, in which, if six or seven good families were removed, there would not be much conversation, except what is to be found among the canons, and the dignitaries of the cathedral.
The spire of Chichester Cathedral, rising above its green copper roof, can be seen for many miles across the flat meadows of West Sussex and is a landmark for sailors, Chichester being the only medieval English cathedral which is visible from the sea.The Argus
''Cathedral troubled by many calamities'', first published Monday 16 April 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2008.


History

Chichester Cathedral was built to replace the cathedral founded in 681 by St Wilfrid for the South Saxons at Selsey. The seat of the bishop was transferred in 1075. It was consecrated in 1108 under bishop Ralph de Luffa. An early addition was the Chapel of Saint Pantaleon off the south transept (now the Canons' Vestry), probably begun just before an 1187 fire which burnt out the cathedral and destroyed much of the town. That fire necessitated a substantial rebuilding, which included refacing the nave and replacing the destroyed wooden ceiling with the present stone vault, possibly by Walter of Coventry. The cathedral was reconsecrated in 1199.John Harvey, ''English Cathedrals'', Batsford (1961) In the 13th century, the central tower was completed, the Norman apsidal eastern end rebuilt with a
Lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, ...
and a row of chapels added on each side of the nave, forming double aisles such as are found on many French cathedrals. The spire was completed about 1402 and a free-standing bell tower constructed to the north of the west end. In 1262, Richard de la Wyche, who was bishop from 1245 to 1253, was canonised as Saint Richard of Chichester. His shrine made the cathedral a place of
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
. The shrine was ordered to be destroyed in 1538 during the first stages of the English Reformation. In 1642 the cathedral came under siege by Parliamentary troops. The towers at Chichester have had a particularly unfortunate history because of subsidence, which explains the positioning of the 15th century bell tower at some distance from the cathedral. The south-west tower of the façade collapsed in 1210 and was rebuilt. The north-west tower collapsed in 1635 and was not rebuilt until 1901. The masonry spire was built in the 14th century and was repaired in the 17th century by Christopher Wren. It survived a lightning strike in 1721 and stood for 450 years. On 21 February 1861, the spire telescoped in on itself, without loss of life. A restoration programme had been started under George Chandler, Dean in the 1840s. The project was to be completed by
Walter Hook Walter Farquhar Hook (13 March 1798 – 20 October 1875), known to his contemporaries as Dr Hook, was an eminent Victorian churchman. He was the Vicar of Leeds responsible for the construction of the current Leeds Minster and for many ecc ...
who took over as dean in 1849. It included the removal of a stone screen (known as the Arundel screen) that separated the choir from the nave. There was some discussion that its removal had caused the collapse of the spire. A more likely cause was thought to be that the spire's foundations had been subject to subsidence over the years and had become detached from the tower, leaving the tower freestanding. Also that the rubble cores of the columns holding the spire had become dust. Thus a weakened tower collapsed in the face of high winds. A fund was set up to raise the £48,000 needed for the rebuilding, and the contributors included
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
and Prince Albert. A replica of the old tower and spire was rebuilt along the original lines by Scott from drawings which had been made by Joseph Butler, architect to the fabric (1847–88). The construction was raised by about , by George Gilbert Scott and was completed in five years. It now rises to a height of 82 metres. The rubble from the original spire was used to construct the former West Ashling Congregational Chapel. In 2008, the cathedral community celebrated the 900th anniversary of the building's consecration. Rowan Williams, then Archbishop of Canterbury, was invited to preach at a festival eucharist and dedicate the new guest house, which was originally named after
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
George Bell.


Architecture

Typically for English cathedrals, Chichester has had a long and varied building history marked by a number of disasters. The architectural history of the building is revealed in its fabric because the builders of different periods constructed in different styles and with changing technology. Both inside and outside portions of the original Norman cathedral can be distinguished from the later Gothic work by the massive construction and round-topped windows. Different Gothic styles from the late 12th century through to the 15th can also be identified. The plan of Chichester is in the shape of a cross, with an aisled nave and choir, crossed by a transept. In typically English manner, the eastern end of the building is long by comparison with the nave, is square ended and has a projecting
Lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, ...
. Also typically English is the arrangement of paired towers on the western front, and a taller central tower over the crossing. Its plan is unusual for England in having double aisles. Chichester has a cloister on the south side of the building. Chichester is small for a Norman cathedral when compared to Winchester, Ely and Peterborough. Much of the original Norman construction remains in the nave, transept, crossing and adjacent bays of the choir. The elevation rises in the usual three stages of arcade, gallery and clerestory. It is similar to remaining Norman work at Winchester, where the arcade is proportionally low, and rests on solid piers rather than columns. In the gallery above, each wide space is divided into two by a colonnettes in a manner typical of
Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this lat ...
. After the fire of 1187, the clerestory was rebuilt and the entire building given a ribbed vault. The eastern end was extended from the round ambulatory to form a square retrochoir or presbytery with lancet windows in a style that is transitional between Norman and Gothic. The newer arcades and the clerestory maintain the round arches of the earlier Norman architecture. The vault is in the
Early English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...
style, supported externally by flying buttresses and large terminal pinnacles at the eastern end. At this time the entire interior was refurbished, much of it being refaced with ashlar masonry. Each pier was decorated with delicate shafts of dark Purbeck marble with foliate capitals, contrasting with the squat cushion capitals of the limestone shafts. The entire programme of work was probably directed by Walter of Coventry. The nave was later divided from the choir by an elegant
Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It c ...
screen or pulpitum with three arched openings, called the Arundel Screen, which was removed in the mid 19th century but reinstated in 1961. The design of the central tower, faithfully reproduced by George Gilbert Scott, was of the Early English style, having on each side two tall pairs of openings, surrounded by deep mouldings. The original spire, which also was of masonry rather than of sheathed wood, was built in the late 14th century, by John Mason (died ca 1403), who also built the Vicars' Hall. The style and construction of the spire are obviously based on that of Salisbury Cathedral but it is not as ambitiously tall, probably because of the problem of subsidence. At 277 ft (84 m) high, it is the fourth tallest cathedral spire in the UK after Salisbury, Norwich and Coventry. The Lady chapel, constructed to the east of the retro-choir, is a long narrow space, with large windows in the Decorated Gothic style of the late 13th century. The other buildings related to the cathedral are the free-standing bell-tower of the early 15th century, probably the work of William Wynford who also designed the cloisters, with openings in the
Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It c ...
style. St Mary's Almshouses in Chichester, which are linked to the cathedral, is a Christian charity dating from the 13th century. The medieval Hospital, associated with the Alms House, is one of only two such buildings in the world, the other being in Germany.Chichester Cathedral website
accessed 2 October 2010
File:Chichester Cathedral Arundel Screen 2, West Sussex, UK - Diliff.jpg, Arundel Screen File:Chichester Cathedral High Altar, West Sussex, UK - Diliff.jpg, High altar File:Chichester Cathedral Choir, West Sussex, UK - Diliff.jpg, Choir File:Chichester_North_Transept,_West_Sussex,_UK_-_Diliff.jpg, North transept


Treasures

The cathedral has many treasures and artworks, the most precious being two carved reliefs dating from the 12th century which are of exceptional rarity among English sculpture. Other ancient treasures include the remains of a
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
mosaic pavement, which can be viewed through a glass window, and a set of thirty-eight medieval misericords, dating from 1330, which remain beneath the seats of the choir, despite the fact that other parts of the choir stalls are largely a Victorian reconstruction. Among the famous graves are those of the composer Gustav Holst and the Gothic "Arundel tomb", showing the recumbent Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel (1313–1376), holding hands with his second wife, Eleanor of Lancaster (1318–1372). The tomb was celebrated in the poem "
An Arundel Tomb "An Arundel Tomb" is a poem by Philip Larkin, written and published in 1956, and subsequently included in his 1964 collection '' The Whitsun Weddings''. It describes the poet's response to seeing a pair of recumbent medieval tomb effigies with th ...
" by Philip Larkin. Also resting there is Joan de Vere, grandmother of Richard FitzAlan, who died in 1293. She, as was her grandson, was first buried at Lewes Priory, but their tombs were relocated to Chichester at the time of the dissolution. The cathedral contains many modern works of art, including tapestries by John Piper and Ursula Benker-Schirmer, a window by Marc Chagall, a painting by Graham Sutherland (''Noli me Tangere''), a sculpture and a font by John Skelton and a reredos for the St
John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
's Chapel by
Patrick Procktor Patrick Procktor (12 March 1936 – 29 August 2003) was a British painter and printmaker. Early life Patrick Procktor was born in Dublin, the younger son of an oil company accountant, but moved to London when his father died in 1940. From the ...
. Outside the cathedral stands a bronze statue of St Richard of Chichester by Philip Jackson. The cathedral also contains a pennant presented by Francis Chichester, which hung on his ship when he circumnavigated the globe.


Dean and chapter

The Dean of Chichester is Stephen Waine, since 14 February 2015. He was educated at the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
and Westcott House and was formerly the
Archdeacon of Dorset The Archdeacon of Dorset is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Salisbury, England. He or she is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the four area deaneries: Purbeck, Poole, Wimborne, and Milton & ...
from 2010. The Canon Precentor is Dr Jack Dunn, installed on 26 September 2021. The
Canon Chancellor According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
is Dan Inman, installed on 6 October 2019. The Canon Treasurer is Vanessa Baron, installed on 26 September 2021.
Lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune * Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) ...
members of the chapter include Simon Bell, as well as David Coulthard who, as communar, is an '' ex officio'' member.
Robert Sherburne Robert Sherborne (born 1453 died 1536) was Bishop of St David's from 1505 to 1508 and Bishop of Chichester from 1508 to 1536. Sherborne was born in Rolleston on Dove, Staffordshire, and educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford. H ...
, the Bishop of Chichester, founded four prebends known as the Wiccamical prebends in 1524.


Music

The music at Chichester Cathedral is largely led by the organ and the cathedral choir, as there are services daily and on special days in the calendar. Outside the regular services the cathedral also supports all kinds of music both religious and secular. Visiting choirs, who come from the diocese's parishes and elsewhere, sing in the cathedral from time to time. It is common for guest choirs to sing at Evensong during the week. The cathedral hosts a variety of concerts that, along with those in the evening, includes a popular series of free lunchtime concerts. It provides a venue for visiting artists from across the world as well as those who are locally based, such as the Chichester Singers, who although an independent organisation, have since their formation in 1954, performed all their major concerts in the cathedral.


Organs and organists

There has been organ music at Chichester Cathedral almost continuously since the medieval period, with a break during the Commonwealth. There are now five pipe organs of different sizes and styles at Chichester Cathedral, with pipes of the Main Organ dating to the Restoration, the Hurd Organ to the late 18th century and the three most recent organs, the Nave Organ, the Walker Organ, which is a small portable organ in the Baroque style, and the Allen Organ, an early example of a digital electronic organ, dating to the late 20th century. Several well-known composers, including Thomas Weelkes and John Reading, have served as cathedral organist.
Anne Maddocks Anne Maddocks (23 October 1911 in Heyshott, West Sussex – October 2006) was an English musician. Maddocks' parents were enthusiastic amateur musicians and, by the age of 14, Anne was playing the organ for services at two village churches. In ...
(assistant organist, 1942–49) was the first woman in the country to hold such a post in a cathedral, and
Sarah Baldock Sarah Baldock (born 5 April 1975) is an English organist and choral conductor, formerly the Organist and Master of the Choristers of Chichester Cathedral. She is notable as one of the earliest women to be appointed to the senior music post at a ...
(organist and master of the choristers, 2008–14) was the second woman to hold the most senior musical post in a Church of England cathedral. The current organist and master of the choristers is Charles Harrison. The assistant organist is
Timothy Ravalde Timothy Ravalde (born 1988) is an English organist and the current Assistant Organist of Chichester Cathedral. Early life and education Ravalde was educated at the Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton. He was Organ Scholar of Carlisle Cathedra ...
.


Cathedral choir

Chichester Cathedral Choir consists of eighteen choristers and four probationers, all of whom are educated at the Prebendal School (which sits adjacent to the Cathedral precinct and is the Cathedral Choir School), and six lay vicars, who are professional musicians. During school term the cathedral choir sing at eight services each week. As well as singing, choristers learn the piano and an orchestral instrument, spending at least eighteen hours a week on musical performance. The choir regularly tours abroad and in recent years has visited France and Northern Bavaria (Bamberg, Bayreuth, Nuremberg and Würzburg) and makes frequent visits to Chartres. In 2005, the choir made a tour to South Africa.


Art and popular culture

The cathedral has been the subject of a number of depictions in art, literature, and television media. Its spire and towers are visible in the 1828 painting, '' Chichester Canal'', by
J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbul ...
. It is also speculated, by Eric Shanes, that Chichester Cathedral is the subject of one of Turner's colour studies for ''Picturesque Views in England and Wales''. In 1833, Joseph Francis Gilbert produced an oil painting of the cathedral, showing the surrounding cityscape. It was collected by Paul Mellon and gifted to the Yale Center for British Art, which he established, in 1966. John Constable completed his own watercolour of the cathedral in 1824, now located in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The building and grounds are occasionally used as a film location. Credits include '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (s05e03) as "Lawnchester Cathedral", '' The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'' (s10e08) as "Marchester Cathedral", and ''
Rosemary & Thyme ''Rosemary & Thyme'' is a British television cosy mystery thriller series starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003. The third series ended in August 2007. ...
'' (s03e02) as "Wellminster Cathedral". Chichester Cathedral is referenced in s01e10 of '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'': one of Ron Obvious's tasks to gain public fame involves eating the cathedral. He is shown brushing his teeth, putting on a bib, and flexing his jaws, before biting into the corner of the cathedral and breaking his jaw.


Wildlife

The cathedral is a nesting site for peregrine falcons, which use a crenellated turret at the base of the spire. Three female and one male chick were hatched in April 2009. During the nesting season live video of the chicks is shown inside the cathedral and on the website.RSPB news piece about Chichester peregrines in 2012
Retrieved 16 August 2012.


See also

* Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England *
List of current places of worship in Chichester (district) There are more than 130 places of worship in the Districts of England, district of Chichester District, Chichester in the English county of West Sussex. Various Christian denominations are served, and there is also a large Chithurst Buddhist ...
*
List of cathedrals in England and Wales This is a list of cathedrals in England and Wales and the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and those in the Channel Islands, by country. Former and intended cathedrals are listed separately. A cathedral church is a Christian ...
* List of deans of Chichester * List of Gothic cathedrals in Europe


Explanatory notes


References


External links

*
''The Chichester Customary''
1948 {{Authority control Anglican cathedrals in England Church of England church buildings in West Sussex Buildings and structures in Chichester Tourist attractions in Chichester Monasteries in West Sussex Grade I listed churches in West Sussex Grade I listed cathedrals Churches completed in 1199 Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals English churches with Norman architecture English Gothic architecture in West Sussex