Prior of Worcester
| Worcester Cathedral | |
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| The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin, of Worcester | |
Worcester Cathedral
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 Worcester Cathedral
Location within Worcestershire
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| Coordinates: 52°11′20″N 2°13′15″W / 52.18889°N 2.22083°W | |
| Location | Worcester (Worcestershire) |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | worcestercathedral.co.uk |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Worcester Priory |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Norman, Gothic |
| Years built | 1084-1504 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 130 m (426.51 ft) |
| Nave length | 53 m (173.88 ft) |
| Width | 44 m (144.36 ft) |
| Nave width | 9 m (29.53 ft) |
| Nave height | 20 m (65.62 ft) |
| Tower height | 62 m (203.41 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Worcester (since 670) |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | John Inge |
| Dean | Peter Atkinson |
| Precentor | Michael Brierley |
| Canon(s) | Alvyn Pettersen, Canon Theologian Georgina Byrne, Director of Ordinands |
| Laity | |
| Organist(s) | Peter Nardone |
Worcester Cathedral, before the English Reformation known as Worcester Priory, is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester. Built between 1084 and 1504, Worcester Cathedral represents every style of English architecture from Norman to Perpendicular Gothic. It is famous for its Norman crypt and unique chapter house, its unusual Transitional Gothic bays, its fine woodwork and its "exquisite" central tower, which is of particularly fine proportions.
The cathedral's west facade appeared, with a portrait of Sir Edward Elgar, on the reverse of £20 note issued by the Bank of England between 1999 and 2007, remaining in circulation as legal tender until 30 June 2010.
What is now the Cathedral was founded in 680 as a Priory, with Bishop Bosel at its head. The first priory was built in this period, but nothing now remains of it. The crypt of the present-day cathedral dates from the 10th century and the time of St Oswald, Bishop of Worcester.
Monks and nuns had been present at the Priory since the seventh century (see Bede). The monastery became Benedictine in the second half of the tenth century (one author gives the time range 974-977, another considers 969 more likely). There is an important connection with Fleury Abbey in France, as Oswald, bishop of Worcester from 961 to 992, and prior at the same time, was professed at Fleury and introduced the monastic rule of Fleury to Worcester. Remains of the Priory dating from the 12th and 13th centuries can still be seen. The Priory came to an end with King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the Benedictine monks were removed on 18 January 1540 and replaced by secular canons.
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Wikipedia