Peterborough Cathedral
| Peterborough Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew | |
Peterborough Cathedral
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| Coordinates: 52°34′21″N 0°14′20″W / 52.5725°N 0.238889°W | |
| Location | Peterborough, Cambridgeshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | www.peterborough- cathedral.org.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Romanesque/Gothic |
| Years built | 1118–1237 |
| Specifications | |
| Nave length | 147m |
| Height | 44m |
| Number of towers | 3 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Peterborough (since 1542) |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Donald Allister |
| Dean | Very Revd Canon Jonathan Baker (acting) |
| Canon(s) | Bruce Ruddock Ian Black |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Steven Grahl |
| Organist(s) | David Humphreys |
Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the three high gables of the famous West Front. Although it was founded in the Anglo-Saxon period, its architecture is mainly Norman, following a rebuilding in the 12th century. With Durham and Ely Cathedrals, it is one of the most important 12th-century buildings in England to have remained largely intact, despite extensions and restoration.
Peterborough Cathedral is known for its imposing Early English Gothic West Front (façade) which, with its three enormous arches, is without architectural precedent and with no direct successor. The appearance is slightly asymmetrical, as one of the two towers that rise from behind the façade was never completed (the tower on the right as one faces the building), but this is only visible from a distance.
The original church, known as "Medeshamstede", was founded in the reign of the Anglo-Saxon King Peada of the Middle Angles in about 655 AD, as one of the first centres of Christianity in central England. The monastic settlement with which the church was associated lasted at least until 870, when it was supposedly destroyed by Vikings. In an alcove of the Lady Chapel, lies an ancient stone carving: the Hedda Stone. This medieval carving of 12 monks, six on each side, commemorates the destruction of the Monastery and the death of the Abbot and Monks when the area was sacked by the Vikings in 864. The Hedda Stone was likely carved sometime after the raid, when the monastery slipped into decline.
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Wikipedia