Bishop of St Albans | |
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Bishopric | |
anglican | |
Incumbent: Alan Smith |
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Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | St Albans |
Cathedral | St Albans Cathedral |
Residence | Abbey Gate House, St Albans |
Formation | 1877 |
The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three archdeacons.
The diocese covers the counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and parts of the London Borough of Barnet. The see is in the City of St Albans in Hertfordshire, where the cathedra (bishop's seat) is located at St Albans Cathedral. The cathedral building itself was an abbey church (part of St Albans Abbey) prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Following its purchase by the town in 1553, it was then a parish church until its elevation to cathedral status in 1877 when the diocese was created from the diocese of Rochester under Queen Victoria by the Bishopric of St. Albans Act 1875.
The current incumbent is Alan Smith, 10th Bishop of St Albans, who signs + Alan St Albans. His nomination was announced by Downing Street on 13 January 2009 following the retirement of Christopher Herbert.