Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of
Norman architecture
The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used fo ...
in
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
, Kent.
The church is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of the
Diocese of Rochester
The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal signa ...
in the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
and the
seat
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair (furniture), ...
(''cathedra'') of the
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.
The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was foun ...
, the second oldest bishopric in England after that of the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
. The edifice is a
Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
(number 1086423).
History
Anglo-Saxon establishment
The Rochester diocese was founded by
Justus
Justus (died on 10 November between 627 and 631) was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent from Italy to England by Pope Gregory the Great, on a mission to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism, probably arrivin ...
, one of the
missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
who accompanied
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury (early 6th century – probably 26 May 604) was a monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.Delaney '' ...
to convert the pagan southern English to Christianity in the early 7th century. As the first Bishop of Rochester, Justus was given permission by King
Æthelberht of Kent
Æthelberht (; also Æthelbert, Aethelberht, Aethelbert or Ethelbert; ang, Æðelberht ; 550 – 24 February 616) was King of Kent from about 589 until his death. The eighth-century monk Bede, in his ''Ecclesiastical History of the Engli ...
to establish a church dedicated to
Andrew the Apostle
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an Apostles in the New Testament, apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He ...
(like the monastery at Rome where Augustine and Justus had set out for England) on the site of the present cathedral, which was made the seat of a bishopric. The cathedral was to be served by a college of
secular priest
In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogr ...
s and was endowed with land near the city called Priestfields.
Under the Roman system, a bishop was required to establish a school for the training of priests. To provide the upper parts for music in the services a choir school was required. Together these formed the genesis of the cathedral school which today is represented by the
King's School, Rochester
The King's School, Rochester, is an English independent school in Rochester, Kent. It is a cathedral school and, being part of the foundation of Rochester Cathedral, the Dean of Rochester serves as chair of the school's governing body. The sch ...
. The quality of chorister training was praised by
Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...
.
[Music Department website]
![Rochester Cathedral - sets showing the outline of the first building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Rochester_Cathedral_-_sets_showing_the_outline_of_the_first_building.jpg)
The original cathedral was high and wide. The apse is marked in the current cathedral on the floor and the
setts
A sett, also known as a block or Belgian block, is a broadly rectangular quarried stone used in paving roads and walkways. Formerly in widespread use, particularly on steeper streets because setts provided horses' hooves with better grip tha ...
outside show the line of the walls. Credit for the construction of the building goes to King Æthelberht rather than St Justus. Bede describes St Paulinus' burial as "in the sanctuary of the Blessed Apostle Andrew which Æthelberht founded likewise he built the city of Rochester."
Æthelberht died in 617 and his successor,
Eadbald of Kent
Eadbald ( ang, Eadbald) was King of Kent from 616 until his death in 640. He was the son of King Æthelberht and his wife Bertha, a daughter of the Merovingian king Charibert. Æthelberht made Kent the dominant force in England during his reign ...
, was not a Christian. Justus fled to
Francia
Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
and remained there for a year before he was recalled by the king.
In 644
Ithamar
In the Torah, Ithamar () was the fourth (and the youngest) son of Aaron the High Priest."Ithamar", '' Encyclopaedia Biblica'' Following the construction of the Tabernacle, he was responsible for recording an inventory to ensure that the constructed ...
, the first English-born bishop, was consecrated at the cathedral. Ithamar consecrated
Deusdedit as the first Saxon
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
on 26 March 655.
The cathedral suffered much from the ravaging of Kent by King
Æthelred of Mercia
Æthelred (; died after 704) was king of Mercia from 675 until 704. He was the son of Penda of Mercia and came to the throne in 675, when his brother, Wulfhere of Mercia, died from an illness. Within a year of his accession he invaded Kent, wh ...
in 676. So great was the damage that
Putta
Putta (died c. 688) was a medieval Bishop of Rochester and probably the first Bishop of Hereford. Some modern historians say that the two Puttas were separate individuals.Sims-Williams "Putta (d. c.688)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ...
retired from the diocese and his appointed successor,
Cwichelm, gave up the
see
See or SEE may refer to:
* Sight - seeing
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Music:
** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals
*** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See''
** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho
* Television
* ...
"because of its poverty".
In 762, the local overlord,
Sigerd, granted land to the bishop, as did his successor
Egbert
Egbert is a name that derives from old Germanic words meaning "bright edge", such as that of a blade. Anglo-Saxon variant spellings include Ecgberht () and Ecgbert. German variant spellings include Ekbert and Ecbert.
People with the first name Mid ...
. The charter is notable as it is confirmed by
Offa of Mercia
Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was List of monarchs of Mercia, King of Mercia, a kingdom of History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa of Mercia, Eowa, Offa came to ...
as overlord of the local kingdom.
Following the
invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
of 1066,
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
granted the cathedral and its estates to his
half-brother
A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child.
While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separa ...
,
Odo of Bayeux
Odo of Bayeux (died 1097), Earl of Kent and Bishop of Bayeux, was the maternal half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was, for a time, second in power after the King of England.
Early life
Odo was the son of William the Conqueror's mother ...
. Odo misappropriated the resources and reduced the cathedral to near-destitution. The building itself was ancient and decayed. During the episcopate of
Siward (1058–1075) it was served by four or five canons "living in squalor and poverty". One of the canons became vicar of
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
and raised sufficient money to make a gift to the cathedral for the soul and burial of his wife, Godgifu.
Medieval priory
Gundulf's church
Lanfranc
Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and then ...
, Archbishop of Canterbury, amongst others, brought Odo to account at the
trial of Penenden Heath
The trial of Penenden Heath occurred in the decade after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, probably in 1076, and involved a dispute between Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror and Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury an ...
c. 1072. Following Odo's final fall,
Gundulf Gundulf and its variants (Gondulf, Gundulph, Kundolf, Gondulphus, Gundulfus, Gundolfo, Gondon) is a Germanic given name, from ''gund'', "battle", and ''wulf'', "wolf".
It may refer to:
*Gondulf of Provence, 6th-century duke and possibly made Bishop ...
was appointed as the first Norman bishop of Rochester in 1077. The cathedral and its lands were restored to the bishop.
Gundulf's first undertaking in the construction of the new cathedral seems to have been the construction of the tower which today bears his name. In about 1080 he began construction of a new cathedral to replace Justus' church. He was a talented architect who probably played a major part in the design or the works he commissioned. The original cathedral had a
presbytery of six bays with aisles of the same length. The four easternmost bays stood over an undercroft which forms part of the present crypt. To the east was a small projection, probably for the silver shrine of
Paulinus which was translated there from the old cathedral. The transepts were 120 feet long, but only 14 feet wide. With such narrow transepts it is thought that the eastern arches of the nave abutted the quire arch. To the south another tower (of which nothing visible remains) was built. There was no crossing tower. The nave was not completed at first. Apparently designed to be nine bays long, most of the south side but only five bays to the north were completed by Gundulf. The quire was required by the
priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...
and the south wall formed part of its buildings. It has been speculated that Gundulf simply left the citizens to complete the parochial part of the building. Gundulf did not stop with the fabric, he also replaced the secular chaplains with
Benedictine monk
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
s, obtained several royal grants of land and proved a great benefactor to his cathedral city.
In 1078 Gudulf founded
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust.
History
Early history
Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...
just outside the city of Rochester. The
Priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...
of St Andrew contributed daily and weekly provisions to the hospital which also received the offerings from the two altars of St James and of St Giles.
During the episcopates of
Ernulf
Ernulf (1040 – 15 March 1124) was a French Benedictine monk who became prior of Christ Church in Canterbury, abbot of Peterborough, and bishop of Rochester in England. A jurist and an architect as well, he was responsible for greatly expandin ...
(1115–1124) and
John ''(I)'' (1125–1137) the cathedral was completed. The quire was rearranged, the nave partly rebuilt, Gundulf's nave piers were cased and the west end built. Ernulf is also credited with building the refectory, dormitory and chapter house, only portions of which remain. Finally John translated the body of Ithamar from the old Saxon cathedral to the new Norman one, the whole being dedicated in 1130 (or possibly 1133) by the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, assisted by 13 bishops in the presence of
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...
, but the occasion was marred by a great fire which nearly destroyed the whole city and damaged the new cathedral. It was badly damaged by fires again in 1137 and 1179. One or other of these fires was sufficiently severe to badly damage or destroy the eastern arm and the transepts. Ernulf's monastic buildings were also damaged.
Medieval remodelling
![Rochester Cathedral southwest view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Rochester_Cathedral_southwest_view.jpg)
Probably from about 1190,
Gilbert de Glanville (bishop 1185–1214) commenced the rebuilding of the east end and the replacement on the monastic buildings. The north quire transept may have been sufficiently advanced to allow the burial of St
William of Perth
Saint William of Perth (died c. 1201), also known as Saint William of Rochester was a Scottish saint who was martyred in England. He is the patron saint of adopted children. Following his death, he gained local acclaim and was canonised by Pop ...
in 1201, alternatively the coffin may have lain in the north quire aisle until the transept was ready. It was then looted in 1215 by the forces of
King John during the siege of
Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, South East England. The 12th-century keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent feature, is one of the best preserved in England or France.
Situat ...
. Edmund de Hadenham recounts that there was not a
pyx
A pyx or pix ( la, pyxis, transliteration of Greek: ''πυξίς'', boxwood receptacle, from ''πύξος'', box tree) is a small round container used in the Catholic, Old Catholic and Anglican Churches to carry the consecrated host (Eucharist) ...
left "in which the body of the Lord might rest upon the altar". However, by 1227, the quire was again in use when the monks made their solemn entry into it. The cathedral was rededicated in 1240 by
Richard Wendene
Richard Wendene (–1250) was a medieval Bishop of Rochester.
Identity
Richard's surname was variously spelled, and he has been confused with Richard of Wendover, a physician and medical writer. "Wendene" could refer to Wenden Lofts in Es ...
(also known as Richard de Wendover) who had been translated from
Bangor.
The
shrines of Ss Paulinus and William of Perth, along with the relics of St Ithamar, drew pilgrims to the cathedral. Their offerings were so great that both the work mentioned above and the ensuing work could be funded.
Unlike the abbeys of the period (which were led by an
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
) the monastic cathedrals were priories ruled over by a
prior
Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...
with further support from the bishop. Rochester and
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
(the other impoverished see) were unusual in securing the promotion of a number of monks to be bishop. Seven bishops of Rochester were originally regular monks between 1215 and the Dissolution. A consequence of the monastic attachment was a lack of patronage at the bishop's disposal. By the early 16th century only 4% of the bishop's patronage came from non-parochial sources. The bishop was therefore chronically limited in funds to spend on the non-monastic part of the cathedral.
The next phase of the development was begun by Richard de Eastgate, the
sacrist
A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents.
In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...
. The two eastern bays of the nave were cleared and the four large piers to support the tower were built. The north nave transept was then constructed. The work was nearly completed by Thomas
de Mepeham who became sacrist in 1255. Not long after the south transept was completed and the two bays of the nave nearest the crossing rebuilt to their current form. The intention seems to have been to rebuild the whole nave, but probably lack of funds saved the late Norman work.
The cathedral was desecrated in 1264 by the troops of
Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...
, during sieges of the city and
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
. It is recorded that armed knights rode into the church and dragged away some refugees. Gold and silver were stolen and documents destroyed. Some of the monastic buildings were turned into stables. Just over a year later De Montfort fell at the
Battle of Evesham to the forces of
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
. Later, in 1300, Edward passed through Rochester on his way to Canterbury and is recorded as having given seven shillings (35p) at the shrine of St William, and the same again the following day. During his return he again visited the cathedral and gave a further seven shillings at each of the shrines of Ss Paulinus and Ithamar.
The new century saw the completion of the new
Decorated work with the original
Norman architecture
The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used fo ...
, the rebuilding of the nave being finally abandoned. Around 1320 the south transept was altered to accommodate the altar of the Virgin Mary.
There appears to have been a rood screen thrown between the two western piers of the crossing. A rood loft may have surmounted it. Against this screen was placed the altar of St Nicholas, the parochial altar of the city. The citizens demanded the right of entrance by day or night to what was after all their altar. There were also crowds of strangers passing through the city. The friction broke out as a riot in 1327 after which the strong stone screens and doors which wall off the eastern end of the church from the nave were built. The priory itself was walled off from the town at this period. An oratory was established ''in angulo navis'' ("in the corner of the nave") for the
reserved sacrament
During the Mass of the Faithful, the second part of the Mass, the elements of bread and wine are considered to have been changed into the veritable Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The manner in which this occurs is referred to by the term transu ...
; it is not clear which corner was being referred to, but Dr Palmer argues that the buttress against the north-west tower pier is the most likely setting. He notes the arch filled in with rubble on the aisle side; and on nave side there is a scar line with lower quality stonework below. The buttress is about thick, enough for an oratory. Palmer notes that provision for reservation of
consecrated hosts was often made to the north of the altar which would be the case here.
The central tower was at last raised by
Hamo de Hythe in 1343, thus essentially completing the cathedral. Bells were placed in the central tower (see
Bells section below). The chapter room doorway was constructed at around this time. The
Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
struck England in 1347–49. From then on there were probably considerably more than twenty monks in the priory.
Later medieval history
![Rochester Cathedral Nave 2, Kent, UK - Diliff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Rochester_Cathedral_Nave_2%2C_Kent%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg)
The modern paintwork of the quire walls is modelled on artwork from the Middle Ages. Gilbert Scott found remains of painting behind the wooden stalls during his restoration work in the 1870s. The painting is therefore part original and part authentic. The alternate
lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
and
fleurs-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
reflect
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
's victories, and assumed sovereignty over the
French. In 1356 the
Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...
had defeated
John II of France
John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which kill ...
at
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
and taken him prisoner. On 2 July 1360 John passed through Rochester on his way home and made an offering of 60 crowns (£15) at the Church of St Andrew.
The Oratory provided for the Rochester citizens did not settle the differences between the monks and the
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
. The eventual solution was the construction of
St Nicholas' Church by the north side of the cathedral. A doorway was knocked through the western end of the north aisle (since walled up) to allow processions to pass along the north aisle of the cathedral before leaving by the west door.
In the mid-15th century the clerestory and vaulting of the north quire aisle was completed and new
Perpendicular Period
Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-c ...
windows inserted into the nave aisles. Possible preparatory work for this is indicated in 1410–11 by the
Bridge Wardens of
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
who recorded a gift of lead from the
Lord Prior. The lead was sold on for 41 shillings. In 1470 the great west window at the cathedral was completed and finally, in around 1490, what is now the Lady Chapel was built. Rochester Cathedral, although one of England's smaller cathedrals, thus demonstrates all styles of
Romanesque and
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...
.
In 1504
John Fisher
John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI.
Fisher was executed by o ...
was appointed Bishop of Rochester. Although Rochester was by then an impoverished see, Fisher elected to remain as bishop for the remainder of his life. He had been tutor to the young Prince Henry and on the prince's accession as
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, Fisher remained his staunch supporter and mentor. He figured in the anti-Lutheran policies of Henry right up until the
divorce issue and split from
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in the early 1530s. Fisher remained true to Rome and for his defence of the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
was elevated as a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
in May 1535. Henry was angered by these moves and, on 22 June 1535, Cardinal Fisher was beheaded on
Tower Green
Tower Green is a space within the Tower of London, a royal castle in London, where two English Queens consort and several other British nobles were executed by beheading. It was considered more dignified for nobility to be executed away from ...
.
Henry VIII visited Rochester on 1 January 1540 when he met
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...
, who was to become his fourth wife, for the first time and was "greatly disappointed". Whether connected or not, the old Priory of St Andrew was dissolved by royal command later in the year, one of the last monasteries to be
dissolved.
Modern foundation
Henrician settlement
The post-Dissolution foundation was a
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
, six
prebendaries
A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
, six minor
canons, a
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
, a sub-deacon, six lay clerks, a master of the choristers, eight choristers, an upper and an under master of the
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
, twenty scholars, six poor men, a porter (who was also to be barber), a butler, chief cook and assistant. Four
scholars
A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher ...
(two each at Oxford and Cambridge universities) were supported. The deacon and sub-deacon disappeared during the
English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
, the butler and cooks went when there was no longer a common board.
Nicholas Ridley was consecrated Bishop of Rochester in 1547 during the reign of
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
. During his time at Rochester he directed that the altars in the churches of his diocese should be removed and tables put in their place to celebrate the Lord's Supper. In 1548 he helped
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry' ...
compile the
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
and in 1549 he was one of the commissioners who investigated bishops
Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner (27 July 1483 – 12 November 1555) was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I and King Philip.
Early life
Gardiner was b ...
and
Edmund Bonner
Edmund Bonner (also Boner; c. 15005 September 1569) was Bishop of London from 1539 to 1549 and again from 1553 to 1559. Initially an instrumental figure in the schism of Henry VIII from Rome, he was antagonised by the Protestant reforms intro ...
and agreed that they should be removed from office. In 1550 he was translated to the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
; three years later Ridley was involved in the plot to place
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.
Jane was ...
on the throne in preference to the Roman Catholic
Queen Mary. The plot failed and Ridley paid the price; he was burnt at the stake for treason on 16 October 1555.
The cathedral suffered a steep decline after the
dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, during which time its estates were confiscated by
the Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
, and it became dilapidated and fell into disrepute.
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...
, the diarist, would later dismiss it as a "shabby place". Rochester's location beside
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
did, however, mean that there continued to be a string of notable visitors. Most famously,
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
stayed in Rochester for four days in 1573, attending divine service in the cathedral on 19 September. In 1606
James I & VI and his brother-in-law,
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...
, visited the city, accompanied by his
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
(
Queen Anne and
Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to:
People
*Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father
*Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460)
*Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...
). James was accommodated at the bishop's palace and the whole party attended a
Sunday service
A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...
led by
William Barlow.
William Laud
William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640 ...
, Archbishop of Canterbury, visited the cathedral in 1633 and complained about its general state, in particular that it "suffered much for want of glass in the windows". By the following year the defects had been mainly remedied (apart from some of the glass), the excuse being that the backlog had built up due to money (£1,000) being spent on "making of the organs". Laud accepted this and required completion, noting among other items that the bells and their frame needed to be put into good order (see below, in 1635 one bell was recast).
In 1635 the cathedral was described as: "small and plaine, yet it is very lightsome and pleasant: her
he cathedral'squire is neatly adorn'd with many small pillars of marble; her organs though small yet are they rich and neat; her quiristers though but few, yet orderly and decent." The author then describes the various monuments "divers others also of antiquity, so dismembred, defac'd and abused". The reference to the monuments is particularly relevant, for this was six years before the despoliation of the cathedral by Parliamentarian soldiers in the wake of the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
.
In 1641
John Evelyn
John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society.
John Evelyn's diary, or memo ...
paid his first visit to the cathedral as recorded in his diary: "The 19th we rod to Rochester, and having seene the Cathedrall."
Civil War
The official record runs: "On Wednesday, being
Bartholomew Day, we marched forth, some of our souldiers ... went to the Cathedrall about 9 or 10 of the clock, in the midst of their superstitious worship, with their singing men and boyes; they ... went about the work they came for. First they removed the table to its place apointed, and then tooke the seat which it stood upon, ... and brake that all to pieces; ...they pluckt down the rails and left them for the poore to kindle their fires; and so left the organs to be pluckt down when we came back again, but it appeared before we came back they took them downe themselves." Post-Restoration, the relative lack of damage was noted, in particular the "monuments of the dead" were not defaced, although one John Wyld (a
freeman
Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to:
* a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm
* Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies
* Free ...
and
shoemaker
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...
of Rochester) was accused of taking down and selling iron and brass from some tombs.
Thomas Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented command ...
's troops stabled their horses in the quire as in other cathedrals. Although no structural damage seems to have occurred, several saw pits were dug in the nave floor.
Shortly after the
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
,
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...
visited Rochester Cathedral on his way between the London and
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...
. The cathedral had fallen into disrepair during the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
and Pepys observed it was "now fitting for use, and the organ then a-tuning". By 1662 £8,000 had been spent and a further £5,000 for repairs were outstanding. The joint diocesan registrar to the bishops from 1629 until 1671 was Peter Stowell. Under the Commonwealth his loyalty had cost him both fines and his liberty. He spent his own money recovering various books and fittings as well as spending £100 on flooring the church from the west door to the
pulpitum
The pulpitum is a common feature in medieval cathedral and monastic church architecture in Europe. It is a massive screen that divides the choir (the area containing the choir stalls and high altar in a cathedral, collegiate or monastic church ...
. The Dean of Rochester led prayers in memory of French Vice-Admiral Jean-Claude de La Robinière who was killed in enemy action by the Spanish-Dutch navy in 1667. In 1770 Archdeacon John Warner oversaw the removal of seats from the chancels with communion tables set up and railed "as formerly", a notably early readoption of the railed altar.
The cathedral fabric required continuous care: in 1664 the south aisle was recased and in 1670 40' of the north aisle had to be rebuilt. In 1679 the spire was in a dangerous state and an architect, Samuel Guy, reported on it. He reported that £1,000 of work was needed, however a few months later a Westminster carpenter, Henry Fry, took a different view: some lead work and the repair of one beam was sufficient. £160 was spent on the organ. In 1705 work started to relead the roof, completed by 1724. In 1730 the old ringers' loft above the quire steps was removed and the crossing vaulted. Between 1742 and 1743 major work was undertaken in the quire, sufficiently disruptive that the
dean and chapter used nearby St Nicholas' Church. In 1749 the steeple had to be rebuilt and between 1765 and 1772 the west front towers were rebuilt.
The cathedral's south quire aisle and transept were giving cause for concern, so in 1751 they were buttressed, the roof lightened and supporting brickwork placed in the crypt. In 1798
Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and T ...
wrote a description of the cathedral and its environs, published as part of his ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent''. He observed that "time has so far impaired the strength of the materials with which it is built, that in all likelihood the care and attention of the present chapter towards the support of it will not be sufficient to prevent the fall of a great part of it at no great distance of time".
[Hasted] A new organ in 1791 completed the 18th-century works.
19th century onwards
From 1825 to 1830
Lewis Nockalls Cottingham
Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (1787 – 13 October 1847) was a British architect who pioneered the study of Medieval Gothic architecture. He was a restorer and conservator of existing buildings. He set up a Museum of Medieval Art in Waterloo Road, Lon ...
served as diocesan architect. The quire and its south transept were reroofed because of dry rot. The wall between the main transept and the south quire aisle was still leaning, and the previous century's work had actually worsened the situation. Cottingham built a new external face which effectively buttresses the original wall. The tower was demolished and rebuilt without a spire. The east end was remodelled by lowering the altar and removing the old altar screen. Various windows and arches were opened up and in one of them the tomb of
John de Sheppey was discovered.
![Rochester Cathedral, England by Frederick Scott Archer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Rochester_Cathedral%2C_England_by_Frederick_Scott_Archer.jpg)
Cottingham remained in charge for the next phase of restoration. From 1840 the pulpit and bishop's throne were rebuilt. The removal of the old pulpit revealed the medieval
''Wheel of Life'' painting to be seen at the eastern end of the choir stalls today. It is said to be the oldest such
painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
in England. A new ceiling of the crossing, new canopy for John de Sheppey, cleaning whitewash and the renovation of the crypt all occurred at this time.
From 1871 to 1877 the work was entrusted to
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
. The first phase of the work was to repair the clerestory of the nave, the nave could then be used for service whilst the quire and transepts were worked upon. The south transept was underpinned and the timber vaulting renovated. The north transept had new western windows and a new door. Both had the masonry renovated. The gables and roofs were restored to their old high pitch form based on prints. The organ screen was restored to its original plain form, perhaps a mistake since there was now no screen on the other side of the pulpitum as there had been in the days of St Nicholas' altar. The east end gables were raised, but due to lack of funds the roof has still not been raised to match. The east window ("ugly" according to Palmer) was replaced with the present lancets. The floor of the presbytery was lowered and the whole eastern part of the building refloored. The choir and prebends stalls were renovated, using original material where possible. The work uncovered the original lion and fleur-de-lis heraldic artwork on which Scott based his decoration of the quire.
In memory of
Robert Scott (sometime Dean) the quire screen was decorated with the current statues by
J. Loughborough Pearson. Pearson also superintended the 1888 restoration of the west front, parts of the facing of which were separating from the core. The
flanking tower
A flanking tower is a fortified tower that is sited on the outside of a defensive wall or other fortified structure and thus forms a flank. From the defensive platform and embrasures the section of wall between them (the curtain wall) could be ...
s were restored to the original height and form and the north gable turret rendered as a copy of its partner to the south. During this work the ancient foundations of the original church were uncovered and marked out as noted above.
In 1904 the present
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...
was raised upon the Scott Tower, creating the skyline as it is today. During 1998 the
precinct beyond the Great West Door was being repaved when further Saxon foundations were uncovered. The coloured
setts
A sett, also known as a block or Belgian block, is a broadly rectangular quarried stone used in paving roads and walkways. Formerly in widespread use, particularly on steeper streets because setts provided horses' hooves with better grip tha ...
extend define the outline.
For the 1400th anniversary of the cathedral, in 2004, a new
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
was painted by
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
-painter
Sergei Fyodorov in the north transept.
Architecture
External
![Rochester cathedral 002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Rochester_cathedral_002.JPG)
The west front is dominated by the central
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 can ...
great west window. Above the window the
dripstone terminates in a small carved head at each side. The line of the nave roof is delineated by a
string course
A belt course, also called a string course or sill course, is a continuous row or layer of stones or brick set in a wall. Set in line with window sills, it helps to make the horizontal line of the sills visually more prominent. Set between the ...
above which rises the
crenellated
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
. Below the window is a
blind arcade
A blind arcade or blank arcade is an arcade (a series of arches) that has no actual openings and that is applied to the surface of a wall as a decorative element: i.e., the arches are not windows or openings but are part of the masonry face. It is ...
interrupted by the top of the Great West Door. Some of the niches in the arcade are filled with statuary. Below the arcade the door is flanked with Norman recesses. The door itself is of Norman work with concentric patterned arches. The semicircular
tympanum depicts Christ sitting in glory in the centre, with Saints Justus and Ethelbert flanking him on either side of the doorway. Supporting the saints are angels and surrounding them are the symbols of the
Four Evangelists: Ss
Matthew
Matthew may refer to:
* Matthew (given name)
* Matthew (surname)
* ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497
* ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith
* Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...
(a winged man),
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
(a lion),
Luke
People
*Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...
(an ox) and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
(an eagle). On the lintel below are the
Twelve Apostles
In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
and on the shafts supporting it King Soloman and the Queen of Sheba. Within the Great West Door there is a
glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
porch
A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...
which allows the doors themselves to be kept open throughout the day.
Either side of the west front rises a tower which forms the junction of the front and the nave walls. The towers are decorated with blind arcading and are carried up a further two stories above the roof and surmounted with pyramidal spires. The aisle ends are Norman. Each has a large round headed arch containing a window and in the northern recess is a small door. Above each arch is plain wall surmounted by a blind arcade, string course at the roof line and plain parapet. The flanking towers are Norman in the lower part with the style being maintained in the later work. Above the plain bases there are four stories of blind arcading topped with an octagonal spire.
The outside of the nave and its aisles is undistinguished, apart from the walled up north-west door which allowed access from the cathedral to the adjacent St Nicholas' Church. The north transept is reached from the
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
via Black Boy Alley, a medieval pilgrimage route. The decoration is Early English, but reworked by Gilbert Scott. Scott rebuilt the gable ends to the original high pitch from the lower one adopted at the start of the 19th century. The gable itself is set back from the main wall behind a parapet with walkway. He also restored the pilgrim entrance and opened up the blind arcade in the northern end of the west wall.
To the east of the north transept is the Sextry Gate. It dates from
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
's reign and has wooden domestic premises above. The area beyond was originally enclosed, but is now open to the High Street through the memorial garden and gates. Beyond the Sextry Gate is the entrance to Gundulf's Tower, used as a private back door to the cathedral.
The north quire transept and east end are all executed in Early English style, the lower windows light the crypt which is earlier. Adjoining the east end of the cathedral is the east end of the
Chapter Room
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
which is in the same style. The exact form of the east end is more modern than it appears, being largely due to the work of Scott in the 19th century. Scott raised the gable ends to the original high pitch, but for lack of funds the roofs have not been raised; writing in 1897 Palmer noted: "they still require roofs of corresponding pitch, a need both great and conspicuous".
On the south side of the cathedral the nave reaches the main transept and beyond a modern porch. The aisle between the transepts is itself a buttress to the older wall behind and supported by a
flying buttress
The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey lateral forces to the ground that are necessary to pu ...
. The unusual position of this wall is best explained when considering the interior, below. The southern wall of the
presbytery is hidden by the chapter room, an 18th-century structure.
Cloisters and ancillary buildings
The
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
was at the heart of the monastery and its outlines can be followed in the
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
garth. The eastern part was formed by Bishop Ernulf's Chapter House and
dormitory
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
of which now only the western wall survives. The south of the cloister was the
refectory
A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...
, the work of Prior Helias (also known as Élie) in about 1215. The lower part of the wall remains and is of massive construction. There was a problem to be solved, the older cloister was bounded by the
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 letter ...
city wall
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
. Helias simply drove through it the a doorway and used the wall as the north wall of the refectory.
Gundulf Tower
![GundulfTowerRestoration](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/GundulfTowerRestoration.jpeg)
Immediately to the north of the cathedral proper and nestling in between the quire transept, pilgrim steps and sextry gate is the 11th-century Gundulf
Tower
A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
. This is the oldest part of the cathedral still above ground. Until the 18th century it rose as high as the adjacent parts of the church, some 65 feet. During the 19th century it severely decayed, until by 1897 it was recorded that "only ruins now remain". The lower part of the tower was roofed and the fabric made good in 1925. Most of the cost (£1600) was met by the
freemasons
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
. The plaque illustrated to the left is affixed to a wall therein. The three floors are now occupied by the cathedral music department (first floor and top floor) and the vergers (ground floor).
Nave
![RochesterCathedral Boss1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/RochesterCathedral_Boss1.JPG)
The western part of the
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
is substantially as Gundulf designed it. The main arcade is topped by a string course below a
triforium
A triforium is an interior gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be locate ...
. The triforium is Norman with a further string course above. The
clerestory
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
above is of perpendicular style. From the
capitals pilasters
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...
rise to the first string course but appear to have been removed from the triforium stage. Originally they might have supported the roof timbers, or even been the springing of a vault.
The easternmost bay of the triforium appears to be Norman, but is the work of 14th-century
masons. The final bay of the nave is Decorated in style and leads to the tower
piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
. Of note is the north pier which possibly contains the
Oratory Chapel mentioned above.
The aisles are plain with flat pilasters. The eastern two bays are Decorated with springing for vaulting. Whether the vault was ever constructed is unknown, the present wooden roof extends the full length of the aisles.
The crossing is bounded to the east by the quire screen with the organ above. This is of 19th-century work and shows figures associated with the early cathedral. Above the crossing is the central tower, housing the bells and above that the spire. The ceiling of the crossing is notable for the four
Green Men carved on the
bosses. Visible from the ground is the outline of the trapdoor through which bells can be raised and lowered when required. The floor is stepped up to the pulpitum and gives access to the quire through the organ screen.
Mini-golf course
In July 2019, the Nave became host to a temporary nine-hole mini-golf course, with each hole including a model of a different type of bridge. A representative from Cathedral explained that "We hope that, while playing adventure golf, visitors will reflect on the bridges that need to be built in their own lives and in our world today." The course was due to be open from 1 August until 1 September.
North transept
The north
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...
is from 1235 in Early English style. The Victorian insertion of windows has been mentioned above in the external description. Dominating the transept is the
baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
. The fresco by Russian artist
Sergei Fyodorov is displayed on the eastern wall. It is located within an arched recess. The recess may have been a former site of the altar of St Nicholas from the time of its construction in 1235 until it was moved to the screen before the pulpitum in 1322. A will suggests that "an altar of Jesu" also stood here at some point, an altar of some sort must have existed as evidenced by the
piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman ...
to the right of the recess. The vaulting is unusual in being octpartite, a development of the more common
sexpartite. The Pilgrim Door is now the main visitor entrance and is level for disabled access.
South transept and Lady Chapel
![Rochester cathedral stained glass 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Rochester_cathedral_stained_glass_2.jpg)
The original
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, an ...
was formed in the south transept by screening it off from the crossing. The altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary was housed in the eastern arch of the transept. There are traces of painting both on the east wall and under the arch. The painting delineates the location of the mediaeval north screen of the Lady Chapel. Around 1490 this chapel was extended westwards by piercing the western wall with a large arch and building the chapel's nave against the existing south aisle of cathedral. From within the Lady Chapel the upper parts of two smaller clerestory windows may be seen above the chapel's chancel arch. Subsequently, a screen was placed under the arch and the modern Lady Chapel formed in the 1490 extension.
The south transept is of early Decorated style. The eastern wall of it is a single wide arch at the arcade level. There are two doorways in the arch, neither of which is used, the northern one being hidden by the memorial to William Franklin. The south wall starts plain but part way up is a notable monument to Richard Watts, a "coloured bust, with long gray beard". According to Palmer there used to be a brass plaque to Charles Dickens below this but only the outline exists, the plaque having been moved to the east wall of the quire transept. The west wall is filled by the large arch mentioned above with the screen below dividing it from the present Lady Chapel.
The Lady Chapel as it now exists is of Decorated style with three lights along southern wall and two in the west wall. The style is a light and airy counterpart to the stolid Norman work of the nave. The altar has been placed against the southern wall resulting in a chapel where the congregation wraps around the altar. The window stained glass is modern and tells the gospel story.
The first, easternmost, window has the Annunciation in the upper light: Gabriel speaking to Mary (mother of Jesus), Mary (both crowned) with the Holy Spirit as a dove descending. The lower light shows the Nativity of Jesus, Nativity with the Holy Family, three angels and shepherds. The next window shows Elizabeth (Biblical person), St Elizabeth in the upper light surrounded by stars and the sun in splendour device. The lower light shows the Adoration of the Magi with Mary enthroned with the Infant. The final window of the south wall has St Mary Magdelene with her ointment surrounded by Tudor roses and fleurs-de-lis in the upper light with the lower light showing the Presentation in the Temple. The west wall continues with St. Margaret of Scotland in the upper light surrounded by foul (nautical), fouled anchor and Thistle#Heraldry, thistle roundels. The reference is to the original dedication of the cathedral as the Priory of St Andrew. The lower light shows the Crucifixion of Jesus, Crucifixion with Virgin Mary, Mary and St. Peter, St Peter. The final window is unusual, the upper light is divided in three and shows King Arthur with the royal arms flanked by St. George, St George on the left and St. Michael, St Michael on the right. The lower light shows the Ascension of Jesus, Ascension: two Disciple (Christianity), disciples to the left, three women with unguents to the right and three bare crosses top right.
File:Rochester Cathedral Lady Chapel Window 1.JPG, The Annunciation and
The Nativity
File:Rochester Cathedral Lady Chapel Window 2.JPG, St Elizabeth and
The Adoration of the Magi
File:Rochester Cathedral Lady Chapel Window 3.JPG, St Mary Magdelene and Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, The Presentation at the Temple
File:Rochester Cathedral Lady Chapel Window 4.JPG, St Margaret of Scotland and The Crucifixion
File:Rochester Cathedral Lady Chapel Window 5.JPG, King Arthur and
The Ascension
The first four windows have various dedications in the lower border, but the fifth has the cathedral, Kent and Rochester coat of arms, arms interspaced with the dedication: "To the Glory of God and in proud and abiding memory of the following ''Old Roffensians'' , who laid down their lives for their country in the Great War 1914–1918". Below is a stone memorial, tablet with their names inscribed. Under the fourth window is a slightly later tablet recording those of 1939–45.
File:Rochester Cathedral WWI memorial.JPG, WW I memorial tablet
File:Rochester Cathedral WWII memorial.JPG, WW II memorial tablet
Quire, aisles and transepts
![Rochester Cathedral Choir, Kent, UK - Diliff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Rochester_Cathedral_Choir%2C_Kent%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg)
The eastern part of the church is the old monastery, monastic area. It is walled off from the public parts by the organ screen, side walls to the quire and cross walls in both aisles. The riots in 1327 are considered part of the cause, but this coincided with a general trend to wall off monasteries.
The north aisle is a simple passageway interrupted by a flight of steps and the cross wall. The steps form part of the pilgrimage route to St William's shrine (hence their designation as "The Pilgrim Steps") and are so worn by medieval feet that before 1897 they had to have wooden treads added.
The south aisle was originally the same width as the northern one. The 14th-century cross wall is still visible filling the arch to the east, now forming the entrance to the vestry over the crypt entrance. Gundulf's small tower occupied what is now the south western portion of the aisle. To keep the cloisters uniform, a wall was established from the tower to what is now the cathedral library. When the tower was demolished its base along with the enclosed area was incorporated into the south aisle. The new "Kent Steps" lead up from the widened aisle into the quire transept, whilst the old entrance now gives access to the crypt below.
Archaeological investigations in 2014 revealed an earlier Norman structure underneath the "Kent Steps". The foundations of the existing (14th-century) wall have been discovered to be Norman architecture, Norman. A doorway from the crypt led to a flight of stairs running upwards with a window looking out into the cloisters. This work dates from the first phase of the present cathedral. The detailed report is expected to be published in late 2016.
Before the Victorian renovations the quire had steeply stepped stalls and a pulpit. Removal of these revealed the medieval ''Rota Fortunae'' ("Wheel of Life") painting and the original patterning of the walls. The existing wall pattern is modern, being a copy of that found, but the painting's main Rota Fortunae, subject is untouched. Above the painted walls the
triforium
A triforium is an interior gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be locate ...
is blind arched with the clerestory and sextipartite vaulting above. Some of the earlier timbers have been reused in the stalls, but most of the work is 19th-century.
Before Scott's work the quire stalls continued in their high-backed form and cut off the quire transepts. They are now open and form a single space to accommodate a larger congregation when required. The south transept has two openings which no longer lead anywhere; one originally led to the crypt (before the south aisle was widened), the other led up to the Indulgence Chamber.
The north transept was the site of St. William's shrine and the center of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. Of St William's shrine little now remains.
Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and T ...
refers to a "large stone chest, much defaced", Palmer notes that the tomb in the easternmost bay of the transept is "reputed to be that of St. William".
The shrine was originally in the centre of the floor. The whole transept used to be known as St William's Chapel, the railed off area to the east being later called St John the Baptist, St John the Baptist's Chapel and more lately the Warner Chapel on account of the monuments therein. Tucked into a corner of the Warner Chapel is a Coventry cathedral#Symbols of reconciliation, cross of nails. In the centre of the north wall is the resting place of Walter de Merton, former bishop and founder of Merton College. Two wooden doors are visible, one of which leads nowhere, access now being from the other side of the wall; the other leads to the cathedral treasury. This latter is reputed to be one of the oldest doors still in use in England.
The north Choir (architecture), quire transept and presbytery form a stylistic whole. The east end however has been substantially remodelled by Scott. The arcading contains the tombs of various past bishops, that between the Warner Chapel and the presbytery is unusually well preserved. It is the tomb of de Sheppey which was walled up at some point and forgotten about. As a result, it escaped the depredations of the English Commonwealth. The tomb was rediscovered, uncovered and restored by Cottingham from 1825 to 1840.
Chapter room doorway
The doorway to the Chapter house, chapter room and present library is described variously as "magnificent", "elaborate", and "one of the finest examples of English Decorated architecture in existence" by scholars who have visited and studied the cathedral. The two full length figures either side of the door represent the New and Old Covenant. The latter is a female figure with a broken staff and the tables of the law held upside down, blindfold to symbolise ignorance of the Messiah. The former is a female holding a cross and church. Palmer notes that Cottingham's 1825–30 restoration work added the head of a "mitred, bearded bishop", but examination today reveals nothing of this.
Above these two are four Doctor of the Church, great Doctors of the Church: Ss Augustine, Gregory, Jerome and Ambrose. They are depicted seated at reading desks and lecterns. Above, on each side, are a pair of angels bearing scrolls and ascending from flames. The uppermost figure in the arch is a small nude figure. This is symbolic of a purified soul arising from Purgatory upwards towards a canopy, possibly the gates of Heaven. It may be
Hamo de Hythe who commissioned the doorway. Above the canopy the ogee outer arch rises to a final pinnacle bearing a pedestal. Today there is no figure upon this pedestal. The outer arch is decorated with deeply undercut foliage. The spandrels and the areas under the figures are filled with diaper work, themselves noteworthy.
East end
![Rochester Cathedral Presbytery, Kent, UK - Diliff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Rochester_Cathedral_Presbytery%2C_Kent%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg)
Much of what can be seen of the east end is the work of Gilbert Scott, though closely based upon the earlier structure.
Crypt
![Rochester cathedral 011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Rochester_cathedral_011.JPG)
The oldest part of the crypt is the two westernmost bays under the eastern end of the quire. It is part of the original 1080s Lanfranc construction with typical Romanesque groin vaulting springing from plain
capitals atop quite slender plain shafts. The rest of the crypt is from a century later. The plinths, shafts and capitals are in the same style as the earlier work, but quadripartite rib vaulting was used. Owing to the oblong shape of the bays, the shorter transverse arches are pointed; however, since the other ribs are rounded, the overall appearance is
Romanesque. In places remnants of the mediaeval paintwork are visible in the vaulting. More medieval paintwork is visible in the east end window openings.
The eastern part of the crypt under the Presbytery (architecture), presbytery has been converted into a chapel dedicated to Ithamar (bishop), St Ithamar. Except when used for the sunday school, Sunday Club (for young people) during Eucharist, Sunday Eucharist, it is reserved as a place of quiet and stillness for private prayer and reflection.
Access to the crypt is down a flight of stairs from the south quire aisle. The stairs occupy the width of the original aisle prior to the demolition of Gundulf's small tower (''see above''). A wheelchair lift installed in 2017 provides disabled access.
As part of the addition of disabled access and the change of use of the crypt, the whole of the crypt floor has been removed and the area under it investigated by archaeologists. A Roman house and the foundations of the original east end have been uncovered. () reports are not yet available, the published plans have been affected by archaeological discoveries.
Music
Organ
![Rochester Cathedral Organ, Kent, UK - Diliff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Rochester_Cathedral_Organ%2C_Kent%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg)
Rochester Cathedral's current pipe organ originates from the 1905 instrument built by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd. It was later rebuilt by Mander Organs in 1989, who installed a new choir organ and pipework under the advice of Paul Hale.
Organists
James Plomley is listed as organist at Rochester in 1559. Among the composers, conductors and concert performers who have been organists at Rochester Cathedral are Bertram Luard-Selby, Harold Aubie Bennett, Percy Whitlock and William Whitehead (organist), William Whitehead.
Choirs
The cathedral choir traces its roots back to the church's foundation in AD 604. The quality of the chorister training was praised by the Venerable Bede in his ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People''.
[Music Department website]
Main choir
The main choir consists of the boy choristers, girl choristers and the lay clerks. The provision of boy choristers was why King's School, Rochester, King's School was founded in 604, at the same time as the cathedral itself. It still supplies boys from its Preparatory school (United Kingdom), preparatory school to sing the treble line. The boys' choir do multiple services weekly. From 1995 a girls' choir was introduced to sing some of the church service, services for which the boys were not available. Girls now do alternate weekends; the boys' choir will do one week and the girls' choir will do another, and weekly Monday church service, services. Girls are drawn from any of the local schools. There are currently 18 Boy choristers and 17 girl choristers. The lay clerks are professional singers who provide the lower three voices: alto, tenor and bass. For great services, all three parts of the choir may combine.
Voluntary choir
The present choir was formed in August 2008 from the previous auditioned adult voluntary choir. The voluntary choir sings for around 10 weekends per year, usually during holiday periods when the child choristers are unavailable. They also sing ''in lieu'' of the main choir at the Eucharist as required.
Bells
![Rochester Cathedral, No 3 bell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Rochester_Cathedral%2C_No_3_bell.JPG)
Rochester Cathedral has a Ring of bells, ring of 10 bells hung for change ringing in the English style. All were cast in 1921, some as memorials to men lost in the First World War or Great War. The heaviest bell is tuned to D.
Although it is probable that the original Saxon cathedral of 604 had one or more bells, early records are scant. The 11th-century Gundulf Tower has architectural features which indicate bells were placed there from the start. In 1154 Reginald Fitz Jocelin, Prior Reginald made two bells and recast a third, existing, cracked one. Two further bells were obtained during the 12th century as mentioned in the ''Custumale Roffense'' of c. 1300. In 1343, Hamo de Hythe arranged for the central tower to be heightened and hung four bells called "Dunstanus, Paulinus, Itmarus atque Lanfrancus" (Dunstan, Paulinus, Itamar and Lanfranc).
In 1635 the third was recast and in 1683 the fifth and tenor, followed by the treble in 1695. The fourth was noted as cracked in 1711 and a quotation obtained from Richard Phelps (bell-founder), Richard Phelps. The contract went the following year to James Bagley who also quarter turned the second: "the striking sides being much worn". The 1695 treble was recast in 1770 and the 1683 tenor recast in 1834. In 1904 two further bells were added at the time that the tower and spire were rebuilt. Of the original six bells four were recast and two retained. In 1921 all the bells were recast and augmented to the current ring of 10. When bells are recast the original metal is reused with new metal added as required, therefore there is every reason to assume that the current bells contain the metal from all the original bells back to the time of Gundulf. In 1960 the bells were rehung on a new steel frame by John Taylor.
The service of dedication for the new bells was held on 16 May 1921. After prayers, the bells were rung for one minute, before the service resumed. Following the Service of worship, service touches of Grandsire caters and Stedman caters were rung. 15 members of the cathedral band and 31 visitors all took turns ringing. Because the bells are a memorial ring, including men who had died in the Great War, they were rung half-muffled on this first occasion.
For many years the reason why the number 3 bell bears the inscription "U.S.S. Pittsburgh in Memory of 1920" was a mystery. However a letter from James W. Todd, officer commanding USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4), USS ''Pittsburgh'' was published in the ''Chatham News'' on 17 December 1920. In it he thanks the Dean of Rochester for various events during the two and a half months that the USS ''Pittsburgh'' was in dry-dock at Chatham. He encloses a cheque for £52 10s to pay for the recasting of the bell and discusses the inscription.
[Chatham News, 17 December 1920 p.7]
Dean and chapter
:
*Dean of Rochester, Dean – Philip Hesketh (since 19 June 2016 installation)
*Canon Precentor – Matthew Rushton (since 25 March 2017 installation)
*Priest-in-Charge, Borstal, Rochester, Borstal and Diocesan Canon – Sue Brewer (canon since 9 September 2018 installation)
[Facebook post](_blank)
an
Music Sheet
(both accessed 3 February 2019)
*Diocesan Director of Formation & Ministry and Diocesan Canon – Chris Dench (residentiary canon since 9 September 2018 installation)
*Canon Chancellor – Gordon Giles (since 13 September 2020 installation)
Notable people
Grevile Marais Livett, a longtime precentor of the cathedral and later vicar of Wateringbury, authored several books and monographs on the Norman churches of England as well as contributing extensively to ''Kent Archaeological Society, Archaeologia Cantiana'', the journal of the Kent Archaeology
Society. (Livett's name was a variant of Levett, an old Sussex and Kentish family.)
The author Charles Dickens had wished to be buried in the churchyard at Rochester Cathedral. Instead, his body was interred at Poets' Corner inside Westminster Abbey.
Notable burials
*Sarah Baker (18th-century actress), Sarah Baker (c1735-1816), actress and theatre manager
*Francis Barrell (1662–1724)
*Paulinus of York, first Bishop of York, third
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.
The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was foun ...
and saint
*
Ithamar
In the Torah, Ithamar () was the fourth (and the youngest) son of Aaron the High Priest."Ithamar", '' Encyclopaedia Biblica'' Following the construction of the Tabernacle, he was responsible for recording an inventory to ensure that the constructed ...
, first English bishop of Saxon-birth, fourth Bishop of Rochester and saint
*Walter de Merton, Bishop of Rochester and founder of Merton College, Oxford
*John Sheppey, Lord High Treasurer and Bishop of Rochester, buried under the altar of St John the Baptist
*John Hilsey, Bishop of Rochester
*John Warner (bishop), John Warner, Bishop of Rochester, buried in the Merton Chapel.
*Major General Francis Henry Kelly
*Richard Watts
Library
The Anglo-Saxon establishment no doubt contained an early library, but no details of it have survived. When Gundulf established the priory in 1082 it was as a Benedictine List of monastic houses in Kent, house. As reading forms a part of the daily routine as laid down in the Rule of Saint Benedict it may be assumed that there was a library by then. By the time of Gundulf's death in 1108 the number of monks had risen from the original 22 to over 60, implying a sizeable library.
In the ''Textus Roffensis'' of 1130 a catalogue of the library is included within it. There was the famous Gundulf of Rochester, Gundulf Bible (now in the Huntington Library, California); the ''Textus'' itself; scriptural commentaries; treatises by various Church Fathers; historical works (including Bede's ''Ecclesiastical History'') and assorted books on monastic life. Most books were in Latin, with just a few in Anglo-Saxon. One hundred and sixteen books are named, with a further 11 added later. These were volumes; some would contain multiple works within them. A further catalogue compiled in 1202 records 280 volumes. This latter catalogue was only rediscovered in the 19th century. It had been written on two leaves at the beginning of a copy of St Augustine's ''De Doctrina Christiana'' belonging to Rochester. The copy is now in the British Library.
The mediaeval library was located in different parts of the cathedral and precincts at different times. The precentor was in charge of it and also responsible for providing the materials needed to enable copyists, illuminators and authors' work. Because all copying was by hand and taught locally, monasteries varied in their calligraphy, style. There is an identifiable "Rochester Script" of the 12th century.
When King John besieged the
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
(1215) some manuscripts were lost, and more were too in 1264 when
Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...
occupied the Rochester, Kent, City of Rochester.
The
dissolution of the monasteries was catastrophic for the cathedral library. John Leland (antiquary), John Leland, Royal Librarian and antiquary, complained to Thomas Cromwell that young German scholars were appearing and cutting documents out of books in the cathedral libraries. Leland was able to save some manuscripts and 99 from Rochester are now in the Royal Collection in the British Museum. 37 other works have been traced in England, Scotland, Europe and even the United States.
Following the Dissolution, the Old Vestry to the east of the south quire transept was adopted as the Chapter Room and library. Notwithstanding its change in designation, it is still used from time to time as a vestry by the clergy. The only contents to survive the Dissolution were ancient manuscripts, the 50 volumes predating 1540 appear to have been later acquisitions.
[. The figure 50 is taken from the 1953 text and may not be accurate today.] The library remained smaller than in mediaeval times, there were less clergy than monks. The Chapter (religion), chapter members were required to be "learned and erudite" and possess a academic degree, university degree, so it is postulated that they would have their own personal books. From the 18th century onwards the library grew, in part due to donations which became traditional upon dean (Christianity), deans and canon (priest), canons' appointments. Some legacies were received, notably Richard Poley of Rochester whose grave can be seen at the foot of the Quire Steps. In 1907-9 the east wall of the library was reconstructed, the floor replaced and new bookcases provided by the donation of T. H. Foord, a benefactor of both the city and cathedral.
Notable contents
The ''Textus Roffensis'', mentioned above, is now on display in Rochester Cathedral. The ''Custumale Roffense'' dates from around 1300 and gives (in Latin) information about the priory's income and domestic arrangements. Instructions are given for the ringing of bells, confirming their use at this date. There is a copy of St Augustine of Hippo, St Augustine's ''De Consensu Evangelistarum'' ("On the Harmony of the Evangelists") copied in the first half of the 12th century. It is in its medieval binding, and from its script it is clear that the copy was made at Rochester. Also from Rochester is Peter Lombard's ''Book of Sentences'' (''Questiones Theologicae'') from the late 13th century. There are a number of medieval charters.
There is a Complutensian Polyglot Bible (Greek, Latin and Hebrew) printed in Spain in 1514–17. A ''Sarum Rite, Sarum Missal'' of 1534 came from Paris. Rochester has a copy of ''Coverdale's Bible'' from 1535, a ''Great Bible'' of 1539, a ''Bishop's Bible'' of 1568 and numerous other later copies. The ''Bishop's Bible'' is notable for the note at Psalm xlv.9: "Ophir is thought to be the Ilande in the west coast, of late found by Christopher Columbus, Christopher Colombo, from whence at this day is brought most fine gold."
Disabled access
Disabled access is via the north door into the nave transept. In the south quire aisle is a wheelchair lift over part of the "HMS Kent, Kent Steps". This gives access to the quire and presbytery level; there is a disabled WC near the foot of this. There is currently no disabled access to the crypt, but there are plans to insert a lift linking the three levels roughly where the existing wheelchair lift is.
King's Engineers
![Rochester Cathedral from Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Rochester_Cathedral_from_Castle.JPG)
Gundulf, a monk from the Bec Abbey, Abbey of Bec in Normandy came to England in 1070 as Lafranc's chaplain at Canterbury. His talent for architecture had been spotted by William I of England, William I and was put to good use in Rochester where he was appointed as bishop in 1077. Almost immediately the king appointed him to supervise the construction of the White Tower (Tower of London), White Tower, now part of the Tower of London in 1078. Under William Rufus he also undertook building work on
Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, South East England. The 12th-century keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent feature, is one of the best preserved in England or France.
Situat ...
. Having served three Kings of England and earning "the favour of then all", Gundulf is accepted as the first "King's Engineer". He died in 1108 and his statue adorns the west door of the cathedral.
Because of his military engineering talent, Gundulf is regarded as the "father of the Royal Engineers, Corps of Royal Engineers". The corps claims a line of Kings Engineers pre-dating the engineers of the Board of Ordnance in 1414 and the formal founding of the Corps in 1716 all the way back to Gundulf. This shared heritage and the close proximity to the cathedral of the Royal School of Military Engineering in Brompton, Kent, Brompton means the Corps of Royal Engineers and Rochester Cathedral maintain strong links to this day.
There are over 25 memorials to individual officers and soldiers of the Corps of Royal Engineers, including that of John Chard, Lieut John Chard
VC, the officer in charge of defending Rorke's Drift against the Zulu onslaught, and a number of memorials representing members of the corps that have given their lives in the discharge of their duty, including many stained glass windows presented by the corps. One such plaque, from 1881, commemorates Major Samuel Anderson (surveyor), Samuel Anderson, responsible for surveying a large portion of the 49th parallel north, 49th parallel Canada–United States border in the 1860s and 1870s.
A memorial tablet was erected in 1902 to the memory of three officers, graduates of the Royal Military College of Canada, who died while serving in Africa: Huntly Brodie Mackay, Captain Royal Engineers; William Henry Robinson, Captain Royal Engineers; and William Grant Stairs, Captain the Welsh Regiment.
The latest memorial to the Corps of Royal Engineers was dedicated during the service of remembrance on the Corps Memorial Weekend, 19 September 2010, led by Adrian Newman (bishop), Adrian Newman (then Dean of Rochester; later Bishop of Stepney), in the presence of the Chief Royal Engineer, Peter Wall (British Army officer), Peter Wall, and the families of the ten Royal Engineers killed in Afghanistan since September 2009, recipients of military decorations including the Elizabeth Cross.
See also
* List of cathedrals in the United Kingdom
* List of Gothic cathedrals in Europe
* List of bishops of Rochester
* Dean of Rochester
* Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England
* English Gothic architecture
* Romanesque architecture
* List of ecclesiastical restorations and alterations by J. L. Pearson
References
Footnotes
Citations
Bibliography
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* Microfilmed copy available for consultation at Medway Archives
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* . Keevill is the cathedral archaeologist who will be providing the formal report in due course.
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External links
Official website of Rochester CathedralRochester Cathedral Old Choristers' AssociationWebsite of the Rochester Cathedral Company of Bell Ringers* [https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=Rochester+Cathedral&m=text Flickr images tagged Rochester Cathedral]
The Corps of Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers Museum and LibraryDiocese of Rochester website
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Rochester, Kent, Cathedral
Medway
Tourist attractions in Kent
Christianity in Kent
Church of England church buildings in Kent
Anglican cathedrals in England
Anglo-Saxon cathedrals
English churches with Norman architecture
English Gothic architecture in Kent
Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals
Grade I listed cathedrals
Grade I listed churches in Kent
J. L. Pearson buildings
Diocese of Rochester
History of the Church of England
7th-century church buildings in England