Christ Church Cathedral is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England. It is the seat of the

bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft, following the Confirm ...

and the principal church of the

diocese of Oxford The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford (currently Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, ...

. It is also the

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

of Christ Church, a college of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

; this dual role is unique in the

. It is administered by the dean of Christ Church, who is also the head of the college, and a governing body. The first church on the site of the cathedral was a

nunnery A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...

and

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

which was burnt during the St Brice's Day massacre in 1002; it was re-founded as a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

of Augustinian canons by 1122. The priory was suppressed in 1524 by Cardinal

Thomas Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( ; – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic cardinal (catholic), cardinal. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's Lord High Almoner, almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and ...

, who intended to demolish the church in order to found a new college on the site. The cardinal fell from favour in 1529 and the project was taken over by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, who preserved the church. When the diocese of Oxford was created in 1542 its cathedral was the former Osney Abbey, however it was supplanted by Christ Church in 1546.

History

The cathedral was originally the church of St Frideswide's Priory. The site was historically presumed to be the location of the nunnery founded by St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford, and the shrine is now in the Latin Chapel; originally containing relics translated at the rebuilding in 1180, it was the focus of pilgrimage from at least the 12th until the early 16th century. In 1522, the priory was surrendered to Cardinal

, who had selected it as the site for his proposed college. However, in 1529 the foundation was taken over by

. Work stopped, but in June 1532 the college was refounded by the King. In 1546, Henry VIII transferred to it the recently created See of Oxford from Osney. The cathedral has the name ''Ecclesia Christi Cathedralis Oxoniensis'', given to it by Henry VIII's foundation charter. There has been a choir at the cathedral since 1526, when John Taverner was the organist and also master of the choristers. The statutes of Wolsey's original college, initially called Cardinal College, mentioned 16 choristers and 30 singing priests. Christ Church Cathedral is one of the smallest cathedrals in the Church of England. The nave, choir, main tower and transepts are late Norman. There are architectural features ranging from Norman to the

Perpendicular In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', � ...

style and a large

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

of the ten-part (i.e., botanical) type.

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

and

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English Anglican cleric and a principal leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include "And Can It ...

, leaders of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

revival, were ordained at Christ Church Cathedral when they were Anglicans.

Dean and chapter

As of October 2024: * Dean – The Very Reverend Professor Sarah Foot (since 1 July 2023 collation) *

Archdeacon of Oxford The Archdeacon of Oxford is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of Oxford, Church of England, England. The office responsibility includes the care of clergy and church buildings within the area of the ''Archdeaconry of Oxford.'' Hist ...

– The Venerable Jonathan Chaffey (since 1 May 2020 collation) * Sub Dean- The Reverend Canon Peter Moger Diocesan Canon - Vacant The University's four senior theology professors are also ''ex officio'' canons residentiary and members of the Cathedral chapter: *

Regius Professor of Divinity The Regius Professorships of Divinity are amongst the oldest professorships at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. A third chair existed for a period at Trinity College Dublin. The Oxford and Cambridge chairs were founded by ...

– The Reverend Canon Professor Andrew Paul Davison (since 2024) * Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity – Professor Carol Harrison (lay; since 27 April 2015 installation) * Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology – The Revd Canon Professor Luke Bretherton (from 25 January 2025) * Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History – Chair held concurrently by the Dean, The Very Revd Professor Sarah Foot There are also other full-time clergy of the Cathedral and college who are not formal members of the Cathedral chapter, including the

Precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

and School Chaplain The Revd Philippa White; the College Chaplain, The Revd Dr Kirsty Borthwick; and the Priest Vicar, The Revd Dr Zachary Guiliano. On 19 September 2023, the governing body of Christ Church voted to separate the ecclesiastical role of Dean from the position of Head of House of the College.

Music

Organ

The

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

is a 43-rank, four- manual and pedal instrument built in 1979 by

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n firm Rieger Orgelbau. It is located in the west end. In April 2024 work began to install a new organ in the east end of the church; the current chancel organ, which is rented from the charity Pipe Up For Pipe Organs, was to be removed to allow floor surveys to be undertaken.

Organists

First among the notable organists of Christ Church Cathedral is the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

composer John Taverner, who was appointed as the first organist by Wolsey in 1526. Other organists (and directors of the choir) have included Basil Harwood, Thomas Armstrong, W. H. Harris, Simon Preston, Francis Grier,

Nicholas Cleobury Nicholas Cleobury (born 23 June 1950) is an English conducting, conductor. Cleobury was organ scholar at Worcester College, Oxford, conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford and held assistant organist posts at Chichester Cathedral and Christ Church ...

, Stephen Darlington and Steven Grahl. The post of Organist is currently held by Peter Holder. (As in many English cathedrals, the organist's primary duties are as director of the choir, with most of the organ playing delegated to the sub-organist or organ scholar.)

Choirs

The main choir, the Christ Church Cathedral Choir, is directed by Peter Holder. It consists of twelve adults (six professional "lay-clerks" and six student "academical clerks") and sixteen choristers (boys aged 7–13 from Christ Church Cathedral School). The choir was all male until 2019, when they welcomed alto Elizabeth Nurse as their first female clerk. They sing in university term time, at Christmas and Easter, and have an extensive touring and recording programme. Former choristers include the composer William Walton. The Cathedral Singers consists of volunteers and is directed by Hilary Punnett. They are usually in residence outside of term time when the choristers and academical clerks of the main choir are on holiday. The College Choir sings every 1–2 weeks in term time and is made up of current students and staff from the college. In May 2019, Frideswide Voices, a local group created to provide opportunities for girls to sing for the liturgy in the chapels of Magdalen College, New College, and Christ Church, were re-founded as a permanently endowed part of the Cathedral's choral foundation. The choristers are aged 7-14 and are drawn from schools around Oxford. They sing

Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which ...

once a week with the clerks of the Cathedral Choir, and perform alongside the boys of the Cathedral choir in certain concerts and services. Helen Smee was appointed director in 2019, taking over from founding director William Dawes.

Bells

The cathedral has a

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

of 12 bells hung for full circle ringing. The tenor weighs , diameter tuned to D. It was cast in 1589 and is historically important according to the Church Buildings Council. Two other bells are also historically important, numbers 10 and 9 ( in F and in G respectively) which were both cast 1410. As well as the bells used for ringing there are also two other bells. The litany bell of 1410 is also historically important. It weighs and sounds the note of G. The Bourdon bell is Great Tom. This dates from 1680, weighs , diameter sounding A. Great Tom is only swung "on a very small number of occasions", but it is sounded every night.

Stained glass

The Cathedral possesses a fine collection of stained glass, the oldest being the 14th-century Becket Window in the Lucy Chapel. It is one of very few images of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

to survive the Reformation. There are two windows by the 17th-century Dutch artist Abraham van Linge, one depicting

Jonah Jonah the son of Amittai or Jonas ( , ) is a Jewish prophet from Gath-hepher in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 8th century BCE according to the Hebrew Bible. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, one of the minor proph ...

, the other dedicated to Bishop King. The firm of

Clayton and Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832� ...

created the dramatic St Michael Window in the north transept in 1870, and from the same period are five windows by Morris & Co to designs by

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August 183317 June 1898) was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding part ...

. The most recent window was unveiled in 2023, a memorial to E. H. Burn, depicting

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

by John Reyntiens.

Notable burials

* John Bankes (1589–1644), English lawyer and politician *

George Berkeley George Berkeley ( ; 12 March 168514 January 1753), known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of "immaterialism", a philos ...

, philosopher and Bishop of Cloyne (memorial in the nave) * Robert Burton, author of '' The Anatomy of Melancholy'' *

Thomas Byron Sir Thomas Byron ( – 5 February 1644) was a Cavaliers, Royalist officer during the First English Civil War. He had effective command of the Charles II of England, Prince of Wales' cavalry regiment during the first year of the war, including at ...

, Royalist officer in the

First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An estimated 15% to 20% of adult males in England and Wales served in the military at some point b ...

* John Fell, Bishop of Oxford * Henry Gage (1593–1645) (buried in the Lucy Chapel, off the south transept) * Richard Gardiner (1591–1670) *

Henry Liddell Henry George Liddell (; 6 February 1811– 18 January 1898) was Dean (college), dean (1855–1891) of Christ Church, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1870–1874), headmaster (1846–1855) of Westminster School (where a house is n ...

, father of

Alice Liddell Alice Pleasance Hargreaves (''née'' Liddell, ; 4 May 1852 – 16 November 1934) was an English woman who, in her childhood, was an acquaintance and photography subject of Lewis Carroll. One of the stories he told her during a boating trip becam ...

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

, buried at High Laver in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, has an engraved floor plaque to his memory in the church. * Elizabeth Montacute (d. August 1354) * Edward Bouverie Pusey * George Stewart, 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny, cavalier * Thomas Strong, Bishop of Oxford * John Underhill (c.1545–1592), Bishop of Oxford * John Urry, (1666–1715) literary editor * Peter Wyche, (c. 1593–1643) ambassador to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and member of the Privy Council

Gallery

File:Cathedral oxford.jpg, View of the cathedral File:Christ Church Cathedral Interior 3, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg, Altar and vault File:Christ Church Cathedral Interior 2, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave, looking towards the altar File:Christ Church, cloister 03.JPG, Cloisters File:Oxford cathedral 08.JPG, The chancel's pendant lierne vault File:Oxford cathedral, nowers monumenat.JPG, Tomb of John de Nowers File:Christ Church Cathedral(2014-06-14).JPG, Stained glass window

References

External links

Christ Church Cathedral website
* ttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/oxford-christ-church-cathedral.htm Sacred destinations photo gallery {{Authority control

Chapels of the University of Oxford

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Church of England church buildings in Oxford

Grade I listed buildings in Oxford

Oxford, Christ Church History of Oxford English churches with Norman architecture Towers in Oxford Tourist attractions in Oxford Burial sites of the Lyttelton family 12th-century church buildings in England