Durham Cathedral is a massive and beautiful Romanesque (or Norman) church (its a World Heritage site). It was built in the 11th century not only as a church but also as a shrine to St. Cuthbert who was an Anglo-Saxon monk and bishop of Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria (today, north-east England and south-east Scotland) in the 7th century. In 875 when the Danes took the monastery of Lindisfarne, the monks fled carrying the coffin of Cuthbert. They roamed around (with his coffin) for a pretty long time, eventually settling into Durham in 995 where first a small church was built and then the cathedral. Cuthbert was one of the most important medieval saints of England, apparently attracting quite a cult following.Trivia for Harry Potter fans: the Durham Cathedral has been used for some of the interior and exterior views of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter films.
The central spire looks gothic, and some other parts of the church look like they're from different times. Is the catherdal as it stands now all from the the 11th century, or has it had work done over the centuries?
ReplyDeleteNice pics!
varun, i think i read that the cathedral was completed in 40 years. this is supposed to be english romanesque architecture - in england, romanesque is called norman architecture. but it seems that there were some additions later, though i haven't checked which were the additions. anyhow, from what they say, this is one of the most well-known examples of norman architecture. but, here's what i found on wikipedia about the cathedral:
ReplyDeleteThe building is notable for the ribbed vault of the nave roof, with pointed transverse arches supported on relatively slender composite piers alternated with massive drum columns, and flying buttresses or lateral abutments concealed within the triforium over the aisles. These features appear to be precursors of the Gothic architecture of Northern France a few decades later, doubtless due to the Norman stonemasons responsible, although the building is considered Romanesque overall.
Hmm ...
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