The Architecture of a Cathedral – Winchester

What is a cathedral and its status:

There are 42 Cathedrals in England and around 16,000 churches. Why are there a lot less Cathedrals than churches and why are they so magnificent?

The word Cathedral is from the word cathedra, which means bishops throne and that is exactly what the role of a cathedral is, they act as the central church of a diocese and centre of worship. Similar to the ceremonies performed in church but with one difference – those done in a cathedral were done with more pomp, grandeur, and procession. A cathedral would also bethe site of inductions or those in charge such as mayors and higher up the chain – monarchs. Like Churches, Cathedrals follow a very similar layout and structure and for this week’s post, I am going to explain the layout of a cathedral and its role using Winchester Cathedral as a case study.

A grade 1 listed ancient scheduled monument in Hampshire, Winchester Cathedral is a beautiful building with a rich history to match. From its origins of Old Minster and links with Anglo Saxon Kings, the dissolution of the monasteries and the damage inflicted during the civil war. The Cathedral has stood tall as a central part of the town, which was once the capital of Wessex and England.

Brief history of Winchester Cathedral:

To begin with, we need to discuss Old Minster. This was the first Cathedral before Winchester built on the site. It was built at the request of Cenwalh, the king of the West Saxons in 635, and was the first Christian church in Winchester. It was not long before Old Minster became the most important royal church in Anglo-Saxon England. At Old Minster, the Kings of Wessex would be buried there including Alfred the Great and King Cnut.

By the 10^th century, it housed a community of Benedictine Monks and the bones of St Swithun, who was buried outside as per his request when he died in 862. St Swithum was mad a bishop in 802 and was known for being a kind and charitable man, going around and making sure everyone was happy and well. The story goes that one day he passed a woman who was upset as her eggs she was carrying had been smashed by workman who were building a church. Picking up the eggs, Swithum looked at her and asked why she cried for the eggs were not broken. When the woman looked at Swithums hands there were her eggs all whole.

However, on 15^th 971 it was decided that his bones should be moved into the Cathedral. Swithum was housed in a shrine within the walls of the minster. It is said that miracles occurred by those who made pilgrimage to his shrine, including the ability to walk freely again without aid. All around his tomb the walls were hung with crutches of people healed by the saint on their pilgrimage to the shrine.

Times were beginning to change and in 1066 England was invaded by the Norman Duke William. He wanted to put his stamp on England and began a series of building works to show who was in charge such as the Tower of London. He would replace the Saxon bishop at Winchester with his own royal chaplain, Wakelin. Wakelin would start building a new Cathedral alongside the Old Minister, which was demolished when Winchester was completed. Today you can see its outline in red brick. Using stone from the Old Minister to help build it, the new Cathedral was consecrated in 1093 with a huge ceremony attended by all those that were somebody in the religious world of England. For a short time, Winchester would be the longest church north of the Alps.

Over the centuries there would be alterations to Winchester mainly to do with the styles of the times and ware and repair. London would become the capital of England and Winchester although still a prominent place was no longer the centre of rule like it once had been.

The next big change to impact Winchester would be in the 1530s and during the dissolution of England’s monasteries. Many monasteries were destroyed and the land sold off. A few, like Winchester, were re founded as cathedrals without the monastic ties to them anymore.

During the English Civil War in the 1640s, parliamentarians stabled their horses at the Cathedral. The building was vandalised deliberately by the soldiers including graffiti of the wall and damaging the stained glass windows. A few years later, it is said the people of the town tried to put the windows back together again and what they created can be seen at the West window of the Cathedral today.

In 1906 deep-sea diver, William Walker came to the Cathedrals rescue when it was discovered the cathedrals east end was suffering from subsidence. Walker would work in total darkness in water-filled trenches under the building for six years, 6 hours a day, to stabilise them. He would stack concrete bags around the foundations to that the water could be pumped out to allow stronger foundations to be built.

In 2012, Winchester Cathedral was awarded a grant from the heritage Lottery Fund that was put to good use to make repairs to the building and improvement to its exhibitions.

The footprint of a cathedral:

The basic layout of a cathedral follows the shape of a cross. Like all cathedrals and churches, Winchester is built so that it faces east to west. East facing the direction of Jerusalem. The sun also rises from the east and so the window at the east end of the church lets in the rising sun, a symbol of God as the light of the world.

When Winchester was built, the Old Minster was still in use so the Monks could still worship. The new cathedral was built alongside the Old Minster. The Cathedral has three-storey elevation consisting of the arcade, the gallery, and clerestory. Most cathedrals follow the same floor plan and Winchester is no exception when it was first built.

Upon first entering the building through the west door one enters the nave. This is where most people would congregate and come to pray. Within the Nave is Wykehams Chantry Chapel and the Font.  Continuing further into the Cathedral, you have both the North and South aisle with their stained glass windows.

One now enters the Crossing, where the crucifix shape forms. Looking above there is the tower and to the left and right the transects. Towers and Domes were very important in Cathedral architecture. They were built to reach to the heavens and to be a symbol from those afar of not only the cathedrals status but also that it was a religious building.

The North and South transept are in the Norman architectural style and gives an idea of what the cathedral looked like originally. The comparisons of the two designs of the Nave and the Transepts really highlight the difference in styles.

Continuing further, we now enter the Quire of Choir. This was where Cadinal Beaufort’s (uncle to King Henry VI) great screen was placed. Then there is the Retro quire where many of the Chantry chapels are. Finally, at the East of a cathedral we enter what only those within the secular world, the priests, bishops, and monks of the highest order – the High Alter and Chapel. 

Architectural design:

Today there is evidence of three styles of architecture at Winchester illustrating the various styles that came and went with fashion and architecture and looking at these styles at Winchester, we can follow the development of religious architecture too.

The first style to be used in Winchester was what we call Romanesque. In 1079 when Bishop Walkein commissions the Cathedral this was the popular design to use. Romanesque is style consisted of solid stalls, round arches and increasing height. Visiting today, you can see examples of this style in the crypt and transepts where there are low massive pillars with square block capitals, groin vaulting without ribs and unpainted stonework with little decoration. Sometimes this style can be seen as Norman architecture.

As Winchester developed with the times so too did its style. In the late 1300’s Wakelin had areas rebuilt in the modern style of the time Gothic. Gothic architecture consisted of columns arches, Christian mytiosim, and large windows. On the columns, there would be detail of leaves and growth symbolism the ‘restored garden’/Garden of Eden.

There is evidence of how the Gothic style developed over time at Winchester. In the Presbytery these is evidence of early 14^th century decorated gothic – Pillars with bell capitals covered with foliage, vaulting with carved bosses and flower style decoration.

In the late 14^th to early 15^th century, architecture styles changed again and what came with it was what we call today perpendicular gothic. Examples of this at Winchester include Pillars with polygonal capitals, Tudor-style arches, and large windows with vertical mullions

Winchester would take 30 years to complete and that does not include the alterations made later. In 1107, the tower collapsed into the Cathedral. It was believed this was due to Gods displeasure at burying King William ‘Rufus’ II  underneath it however; it was more likely bad construction. For such elaborate and large buildings, medieval cathedrals such as Winchester were built simply using pulleys, ropes, and scaffolding. A dangerous job did not really pay much but would provide work for hundreds of people and their trades for many years.

So what goes into building a Cathedral? Where does one start?

Firstly a body of people were formed to create a chapter and that would decided on the finance of the venture and appoint an architect. The architect would then be responsible for employing a number of master tradesmen such as a stonecutter, sculptor, mason, carpenter, quarryman and so on. They in turn would then employ many ‘unskilled’ labourers who would carry out the manual labour of the building. A cathedral construction would also lead to a number of other skilled workers coming to the town or who may already be at the town such as blacksmiths to build the tools.

The starting point once the plan had been produced was the foundations. These needed to be done accurately and skilfully, as they were what would be supporting the rest of the structure. Winchesters foundations are around 20ft underground, for other cathedrals hey can be up to 25 foot. 

Chapels:

Winchester has seven chantry chapels, which is more than any other cathedral in England. They were all added between 14^th-16^th centuries. A chantry chapel would usually be paid for by someone of high ranking, usually a bishop to not only be buried in but also to be a place of prayer for the soul of the chapel’s benefactor

The chantry chapels are as follows:

• William of Edington
• William of Wykeham
• Henry Beaufort
• William Waynfleete.
• Thomas Langton
• Richard Fox
• Stephen Gardiner

In additional there is the Fishermans Chapel, the Epiphany Chapel, the Venerable Chapel and the Ladies Chapel. A ladies chapel is present in most cathedrals and is usually the largest. You will find it located to the east of the high alter and it honours the Virgin Mary. Winchesters Lady Chapel is lucky to have a rare survival of its wall paintings along with the Tudor stalls, the only ones to have survived pre-dissolution.

To the Heavens:

Look up and what do you see? This can vary depending on where you are standing and what cathedral you are standing in.

Above your head at Winchester the cathedrals roof has over one thousand carvings in wood and stone covering the entire joint between the stone ribs of its vaulted ceilings. These are known as roof bosses and range from designs such as simple leaves to more elaborates angels, animals, heraldic badges, and emblems of Christ Passions. The ceiling supports by the gothic columns are breathtaking. (I have to admit I have a love for cathedrals). It really makes you feel as you are looking towards the heavens.

Most cathedrals will also have spires or towers with bells ringing out to the heaves after all that are their purpose. Winchester has a small bell tower considering its size. This is believed to be a result of the collapse of the originally one. It is 50 feet wide, only rises 35 feet about the roof, and is 150 feet tall.

And below:

Dare you go down to the crypt? Well why wouldn’t you? Aside from the fact that at Winchester there is the Sound II, a sculptor created by A. Gormley. There is no reason to fear a crypt. Many people mistakenly believe a crypt is for the burying of bodies but in fact the word itself means hidden place and no bodies are buried there. Most of the time a crypt was created to raise the east end of a cathedral to replicate the ‘holy hill’ in Jerusalem.

Talking of bodies there are around 35 people buried within Winchester including King Henry II, Stephen of Blois, Saint Switchum and the author Jane Austen.

Winchester houses the Shrine of St Swithum. Swithum was  . The shrine was located at the inner sanctum of the cathedral structure in between the quire and presberaty. ‘On climbing the steps pilgrims would have been awed by the carpet with over 60 different designs in cerematic tiles’. Those tiles nearest the memorial are original 11^th century tiles and my favourite bit in the whole of the Cathedral. The shrine built especially in Winchester Cathedral (is there something missing here? Doesn’t quite flow) . When the shrine was relocated into Winchester from Old Minster it was placed on the high alter, this limited access to the pilgrims flocking to see it as they were not allowed on the high alter. To resolve this problem, Henry of Blois had a 3 meter tunnel built where the pilgrims could crawl through and get up close to the Saint. Evidence of the hole is still there today. The Shrine itself was destroyed during the dissolution and it is not sure where swithum bones ended up.

Treasures of the Cathedral:

There are a number of items at the cathedral, which are worth a mention too.

Mortuary boxes – these boxes originally held the bones of the Anglo Saxon Kings who were buried at Old Minster and were transferred into the new cathedral. When the cathedral was vandalised in the Civil War the boxes were thrown open and the bones thrown about. Although they were replaced back into the boxes, we cannot be certain that they are all in the right ones.

The great screen in the Cathedral once housed a large number of statues covered in vivid bright colours – it would have been an impressive sight to those entering the religious building. It was built from money left by Cardinal Beaufort, along with money for Swithums new shrine and his own chapel. Today all that remains is the whitewashed backdrop. The statues that are present are Victorian replacements; this was dues to the dissolution and the view against idolatry.

The Winchester Bible is the largest surviving 12^th century English bible. Still brightly coloured letters bounce off the page as they did when its single scribe wrote out its content, while artists illuminated the letters. It is a beautiful book and not to be missed.

Winchester is still a working cathedral today with daily worship taking place. One can visit to pray, or just as a visitor admiring the cathedrals beauty like myself. Admission prices and opening times along with services can be found on the website https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/

There is so much more to see and experience at Winchester, not only its cathedral but the whole town is filled with history. I urge you to go and visit when you can.

Sources:

Cathedral Souvenir Guide

McNamara, R. R. (2017) How to read Churches. Bloomsbury: London

Anon (2020) Architecture of Cathedrals and Great Churches. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_cathedrals_and_great_churches [Accessed 20/03/2020]

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Anon (nd) Cathedral – Frequently asked Questions. Available from: https://www.englishcathedrals.co.uk/latest-news/cathedrals-frequently-asked-questions/ [Accessed 25/03/20]

Goodall, J (2019) Winchester Cathedral: The tale of a remarkable church and its astonishing contents

Available from: https://www.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/winchester-cathedral-tale-remarkable-church-astonishing-contents-209595 [Accessed 30/3/20]

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Jones, J (2009) Cathedrals – Heavens of Earth. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/nov/01/canterbury-gloucester-cathedral-medieval-art [Accessed 30/3/20]