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1、From a small Saxon church to a great Cathedral, the long history of this sacred place stretches back over 15 centuries. Youll find so much to discover: glorious church architecture and tiny crafted details, priceless treasures and great works of art, historic events and famous people. We hope youll
2、visit. Fifteen centuries of English history lie behind the massive Cathedral you see today. It stands at the heart of historic Winchester, once the seat of Anglo-Saxon and Norman royal power, on the site of an early Christian church. Its been a place of worship ever since. A royal Anglo-Saxon church
3、 Todays Cathedral has its roots in the seventh century, when Englands pagan monarchy first became Christians.In 635, Cynegils, king of the West Saxons, was baptised. Just over a decade later, his son Cenwalh built the first Christian church in Winchester, the heart of Anglo-Saxon Wessex.This small,
4、cross-shaped church became known as Old Minster. You can still see where it stood, its outline traced in red brick, just north of the present building.Soon, Old Minster became a cathedral, housing the throne (cathedra) of a bishop who held sway over a huge diocese that stretched from the English Cha
5、nnel to the river Thames.This was now the most important royal church in Anglo-Saxon England. It was the burial place for some of the earliest kings of Wessex, including King Alfred the Great.Here too King Cnut, who ruled England and Denmark in the early 11th century, chose to be buried, and was joi
6、ned by his wife Queen Emma on her death in 1052.A place of pilgrimage By the 10th century, Old Minster was the priory church of a community of monks, living a simple life of frequent prayer under the rule of St Benedict.Here, eight times a day, the monks would pray and chant the beginnings of the gr
7、eat English choral tradition that remains one of the nations treasures today.The church was made bigger and grander by its 10th-century bishop, Aethelwold. The bones of St Swithun, a former bishop, were dug up from its forecourt and housed in a splendid new shrine inside.St Swithuns fame spread far
8、and wide. All round his tomb, the walls were hung with the crutches of people hed healed.By the year 1000, Old Minster was a multipurpose building a mighty Cathedral, a thriving priory church, a healing place of pilgrimage, and the final resting place of West Saxon kings.The Normans arrive But huge
9、changes lay ahead, as Englands Saxon leaders were abruptly toppled by a great new military power.In 1066, William the Conqueror successfully invaded England from his duchy of Normandy. He was anointed king at Westminster Abbey, and quickly moved to take control of the Church.He replaced Winchesters
10、last Saxon bishop with his own royal chaplain, Walkelin. The French bishop set about building a huge new church in the Norman Romanesque style.After 450 years, Old Minster was demolished. Its stones were used for the new Cathedral, consecrated in 1093 with a great ceremony attended by almost all Eng
11、lands bishops and abbots.You can still the Norman roots of our present Cathedral in its massive, round-arched crypt and transepts today.A thriving medieval Cathedra The Norman Cathedral flourished. William Rufus, William the Conquerors son, was buried here in 1100.You can still see the remains of it
12、s great monastery, St Swithuns Priory. These include the 14th-century Pilgrims Hall where visitors stayed, and the site of the monks dormitory, now a tranquil garden.Sumptuous works of art were commissioned. A glorious new font celebrating the work of St Nicholas was installed. In the 12th century,
13、a magnificent illuminated Bible was made for the monks to use in their daily worship. You can still see the Winchester Bible in the Cathedral Library.In the centuries that followed, wealthy and powerful bishops put their stamp on the Norman cathedral. They remodelled it with soaring gothic arches th
14、e 14th century, making it even more ornate in the 15th and 16th centuries.They also commissioned their own chapels, where priests would say daily masses over their tombs to speed their souls into heaven. These fine chantry chapels remain one of the great glories of our Cathedral.A new Church of Engl
15、and The dissolution of Englands monasteries during the 1530s under Henry VIII, in his dispute with the Catholic church of Rome, was a catastrophic upheaval. All were swept away. A few, including Winchester, were re-founded as cathedrals.After nearly 600 years, Winchesters great Benedictine monastery
16、, St Swithuns Priory, had come to an end. The shrine of its patron saint was ransacked under cover of darkness, and its cloister demolished.In the 1550s, Roman Catholicism was briefly revived by Henrys daughter Mary Tudor, who married her Spanish husband in the Cathedral. But from then on, the reformed Church of England held sway.It brought with it a new prayer book written in English so all could un
