Ely Abbey

Ely Cathedral
Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity
West front (main entrance)
Ely Cathedral Shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates: 52°23′55″N 0°15′51″E / 52.398611°N 0.264167°E / 52.398611; 0.264167
Location	Ely, Cambridgeshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Broad church
Website	www.elycathedral.org
Architecture
Style	Romanesque, Gothic
Years built	1083–1375
Specifications
Length	163.7 m
Height	66 m
Nave height	21.9 m
Number of towers	2
Tower height	66 m (west tower), 52 m (lantern)
Administration
Diocese	Ely (since 1109)
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Dean	Mark Bonney
Canon(s)	James Garrard, Victoria Johnson, Jessica Martin
Laity
Director of music	Paul Trepte
Organist(s)	Edmund Aldhouse

Ely Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in the English city of Ely, Cambridgeshire.

The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The present building dates back to 1083, and cathedral status was granted it in 1109. Until the reformation it was the Church of St Etheldreda and St Peter, at which point it was refounded as the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, continuing as the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. Architecturally it is outstanding both for its scale and stylistic details. Having been built in a monumental Romanesque style, the galilee porch, lady chapel and choir were rebuilt in an exuberant Decorated Gothic. Its most famous feature however is the central octagonal tower, with lantern above, which provides a spectacular internal space and, along with the West Tower, gives a unique exterior landmark that dominates the surrounding landscape. Ely Cathedral is a major tourist destination, receiving around 250,000 visitors per year, and sustains a daily pattern of morning and evening services.

Ely Abbey was founded in 672, by Æthelthryth (St Etheldreda), daughter of the East Anglian King Anna. It was a mixed community of men and women. Later accounts suggest her three successor abbesses were also members of the East Anglian Royal family. In later centuries the depredations of Viking raids may have resulted in its destruction, or at least the loss of all records. It is possible that some monks provided a continuity through to its refoundation in 970, under a Benedictine rule. The precise siting of Æthelthryth's original monastery is not known. The presence of her relics, bolstered by the growing body of literature on her life and miracles, was a major driving force in the success of the refounded abbey. The church building of 970 was within or near the nave of the present building, and was progressively demolished from 1102 alongside the construction of the Norman church.Ermenilda of Ely was an Abbess here, as well, after her husband Wulfhere of Mercia died in 675.