  Dedication: St. Cuthbert. Formerly the Church of a Benedictine Monastery. Special features: Galilee Chapel; Chapel of the Nine Altars; Neville Screen; Joseph’s Window. Durham is the most beautifully situated of all English cathedrals. It is perched upon a rocky and wooded eminence above the Wear River, and with the castle by its side makes a noble picture. When seen from the opposite side of the river the west end of the Cathedral is very charming; for the Galilee Chapel, the western towers and gable, the tall central tower and the roof of the nave show variety of line and mass. The Galilee Chapel completely hides the western doorway; but above it rises the big window of 1346, the semicircular arch and the small gable between the twin towers. Durham Cathedral owed its existence to St. Cuthbert (one of the three great English saints), and was fortunate enough to possess his shrine. Therefore, it is well to recall his life before visiting the church. St. Cuthbert was born about 635, and in Ireland, according to tradition. He is first heard of as a shepherd-boy in Northumbria, where, in 651, while watching his flocks by night, he had a vision of the heavens opening and angels carrying thither the soul of St. Aidan, the pious bishop of Lindisfarne. He decided to become a monk and entered the monastery of Melrose, where he became prior. After a few years he went to Lindisfarne, and also became prior there. In 676 he became an anchorite Legend says that after the monks left Chester-le-Street, St. Cuthbert appeared and announced that he desired to rest at Dun-holm. The monks wandered about in search of this place. Finally they heard a woman asking another if she had seen her lost cow. The other answered: “It’s down in Dun-holm.” The monks remembering that Dun-holm meant hill-meadow, carried the body of St. Cuthbert into the lonely field. Here they built a stone chapel to protect the body; and Bishop Aldhun soon began a great church. This “White Church” was consecrated in 999. Aldhun died in 1018. The next important bishop was William of Saint Carileph (1080-1096), appointed by William the Conqueror. He turned the place into a Benedictine monastery. Then he determined to build a better Cathedral, and laid the foundation-stone in 1093. When he died, three years later, the walls of the choir, the eastern walls of the transepts, the arches of the tower and a part of the first bay of the nave were finished. A temporary shrine was also made for St. Cuthbert’s body. When Henry VIII. suppressed the monasteries in 1540, the shrine was destroyed; but the monks secured St. Cuthbert’s body and buried it beneath the platform on which the shrine had stood. In 1827 the grave was opened. A coffin was found that had been made in 1541; this enclosed another, supposed to date from 1104; and this, a third, that agreed with the description of the one made in 698. In the latter was found St. Cuthbert’s body, wrapped in five robes of embroidered silk. Thus it almost seemed as if there were some reason for the legend that his body was supposed to be incorrupt. William the Conqueror, anxious to see this incorrupt body, ordered the shrine to be opened; but, at the first stroke, such sickness and terror fell upon him that he rushed from the Cathedral; and, mounting his horse, he never drew bridle until he had crossed the Tees. Until the Reformation the banner of St. Cuthbert hung over his shrine. It was made from a cloth used by St. Cuthbert in celebrating mass and it was believed to insure victory to the army in whose ranks it was carried. Flodden was one of the Returning now to the architectural history of the Cathedral, the next great builder was Hugh Pudsey (1153-1195), in whose time the Norman style was passing out of fashion. Pudsey began to build a Lady-Chapel at the east end; but when he saw great cracks appearing in the walls, he thought that St. Cuthbert was manifesting his displeasure. Consequently he removed all his building materials, including the Purbeck marble columns, and began and finished the wonderful Galilee Chapel at the west end, about 1175. Pudsey was a great prince as well as a fine builder. He was only twenty-five when he became Bishop of Durham. He bought the earldom of Northumberland and also a manor. When King Henry decided to go to Jerusalem after his capture by the Saracens, Pudsey fitted out ships and had a seat of silver for himself in one of them. The King died, and Pudsey remained at home; and while King Richard went on the trip Pudsey and the Bishop of Ely quarrelled. Pudsey was decoyed to London and thrown into the Tower. He was released. He died on another journey from Durham to London in 1195. Bishop Poore (1229-1237), arriving from Salisbury Cathedral (see page 77), planned the Chapel of the Nine Altars, another special feature of Durham and one of the best examples of Early Eng In the Fourteenth Century the large window in the north transept and the west windows of the nave were added. Then the cloisters were built and several halls. The refectory was turned into a library in 1661-1684. The central tower was repaired and rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century. Wyatt, who had charge of the restorations in 1796, destroyed the fine Norman Chapter-House (built in 1133-1140), rebuilt the turrets on the Chapel of the Nine Altars and placed a window of his own design in the east end, removing for the purpose the great Early English window. The original glass was also taken out and piled up in baskets. After much had been stolen the remainder was locked up in the Galilee. Some of it was inserted in the great round window. Wyatt came very near destroying the Galilee Chapel so that he could open the west doorway; but he was fortunately stopped. The chief restorations of late years have been those of 1870-1876, when the new choir-screen and pulpit were erected, the choir-stalls replaced and the floor of the choir paved with marble mosaic. From the large open space between the Cathedral and Castle, known as the Palace Green, we gain a fine view of the northern side of the building; the tall central tower and transept with its splendid window (1362) (The Four Doctors of the Church); From this side we can study the towers to advantage. The two square, solid western towers date from Norman time; but the Norman work ends at the roof of the nave; then begins what is probably work of the Thirteenth Century. Here we have four stories ornamented with arcading, blind and open. The first and third have pointed arches, and the second and fourth round arches. The open parapets and pinnacles were added at the end of the Eighteenth Century. The Central Tower dates from about 1474, replacing an older tower that had been condemned. The belfry had been struck by lightning in 1429. The tower consists of two stories separated by a narrow gallery with a pierced and embattled parapet. This is called the Bell Ringers’ Gallery. The windows are arranged in pairs surmounted by ogee label moldings, crocketed and ornamented with finials. The tower is finished with an open-worked parapet, and at each corner are buttresses with canopied niches containing figures. We walk eastward to gain a nearer view of the Chapel of the Nine Altars with the Early Decorated window and turrets crowned with pyramids. We particularly want to see on the north-west turret the panel of the Dun Cow, a modern reproduction of an ancient work, commemorating the legend. We now turn and walk westwards. Then we enter the North Door, the principal entrance to the Cathedral. The exterior is the work of Wyatt; and though we take some pleasure in the carvings of foliage, figures, chevrons and lozenges that orna Criminals were wont to claim sanctuary at Durham from 740 to 1524. As soon as the fugitive grasped the ring he was safe. This knocker is a grotesque head of bronze with a ring hanging from the grinning mouth. “The north entrance door tells an interesting tale. The present door is a modern restoration, and some of the original features of the famous entrance have been obliterated. Towards this door many a poor wretch hastening to escape the hands of the avenger has sped his fearful steps in days gone by. Attached to the door still glares a fearful-looking metallic head holding a ring in its mouth. In its now eyeless sockets were once in all probability balls of crystal, or enamel. When once the ring was grasped by the hand of the fugitive he was safe. He had claimed the ‘peace’ of St. Cuthbert, and the sanctity of the neighbouring shrine shielded him. Above the door by day and night watched relays of monks to admit those who claimed sanctuary. So soon as ever a fugitive had reached the door he was admitted. This done he had to confess the crime of which he was guilty, and his statement was taken down in writing. All the while a bell was tolling to give notice that some one had taken refuge in the church. Then the culprit was arrayed in a black gown with a yellow cross on his left shoulder, and remained within the precincts for thirty-seven days. If, at the end of that time, he could not obtain a pardon of the civil authorities, he was conveyed across the seas to begin life elsewhere.”—(T.) The exterior has not prepared us for the great impression that we experience on entering the Nave with its enormous columns and noble arches. These columns are deeply cut, some with spirals, some with zigzags, some with reeds, etc. The whole effect is solemn. Fortunately the modern screen allows the gaze to traverse the entire length of the “The triforium is almost uniform throughout the whole church. In each sub-bay it consists of two small arches under one large one, with the tympanum solid. Here also the capitals are cushions and perfectly plain. “Above the triforium is the clerestory, which contains one light to each sub-bay, and surmounting all is the vaulting, which springs from the piers and from grotesquely carved corbels between the triforium arches. The vaulting ribs are ornamented with chevrons on either side of a bold semicircular moulding. So much for the general arrangement of the bays. Some idea of the massiveness of the structures may be gathered when it is known that each group of the clustered pillars separating the bays covers an area of two hundred and twenty-five square feet at its base, while those of the cylindrical columns of the sub-bays are twelve feet square, and the columns themselves have a circumference of over twenty-three feet. There is little room to doubt that the effect obtained by the old builders of Durham was intentional. The masterly way in which great masses of solid masonry, greater than was constructively necessary, are handled, and the reticence and delicacy of the ornament combine to prove this. There is in the whole scheme a delightful union of great power and vigour in the masses, and of tenderness and loving care in the detail.”—(J. E. B.) At the west end of the nave stands the Font, a modern work in the Norman style carved with medallions depicting scenes from the life of St. Cuthbert. It is covered by a large wooden canopy, dating from 1663 and curiously carved with a mixture of Classic and Gothic ornamentation. Durham is built in the form of a Latin cross, with transept, and in the centre of the arms rises the tower. At the east end another transept runs—the Chapel of the Nine Altars. At the west end we have the Galilee Chapel. No one seems to know the origin of the word Galilee. According to Canon Talbot: “Its name of Galilee has probably some reference to Galilee of the Gentiles, and implies that it was considered less sacred than the rest of the Cathedral. St. Cuthbert had a more than monkish fear of women, and they were not allowed to approach the shrine. A cross let into the pavement of the nave at the far west end curiously marks the far-removed spot nearer than which women might not approach. The prejudices of the good saint were thus perpetuated long after his death. The whole effect is light and graceful, and if the women were not allowed to enter farther than the western extremity of the church, they certainly had a most beautiful place of worship.” The Galilee Chapel is the most beautiful example of Transitional Norman. “Entering the chapel by the steps leading from the Norman nave, the visitor is at once impressed with the lightness and delicacy of the work before him, as compared with the massive grandeur of the Norman cathedral behind. Here we have, in fact, one of the latest uses of the round arch influenced by the rapidly developing Early English Gothic. In plan the chapel consists of a nave with double aisles, which perhaps might be more properly called five aisles. These are divided by arcades, each of which is of four bays. These arches and the columns which support them are the chief beauty and characteristic of the chapel. The arches are semicircular, of one order, with three lines of chevrons, one on each face, and one on the soffit between two roll mouldings. The capitals are light and graceful and carved with a volute, and the columns clusters of marble and freestone shafts. The whole seems to have been coloured in fresco, and remains of this are still to be seen. The stone shafts, which alternate with those of marble, do not carry any of the weight of the arch, and are, undoubtedly, an addition, probably in the time of Cardinal Langley, when they must have been added, with a view to improving the appearance. The dimensions of the chapel are forty-seven feet from east to west, and seventy-six feet The two doorways at the end of the north aisle and south aisle of the nave were made by Cardinal Langley, who closed up the great West door, reopened in 1846. This was built by Flambard (1099-1128) and consists of an arch of four orders decorated with chevrons. Grotesque animals also appear in medallions. Langley also made a new roof, for which he raised the walls. In front of the principal altar stands Langley’s Tomb, erected by himself; but of far more interest is the resting-place of a greater man. No visitor can look upon the stone slab that marks the grave of the Venerable Bede without awe. Bede, so famed for his learning and piety, was a contemporary of St. Cuthbert and spent his long life chiefly in the monasteries of Monkwearmouth and Jarrow. He died in 735 and was buried at Jarrow. In 1022 his remains were stolen and placed in the same coffin with those of St. Cuthbert. Pudsey removed them into the new Galilee Chapel. “There, in a silver casket gilt with gold, hee laid the bones of Venerable Bede, and erected a costly and magnificent shrine over it,” so the Rites of Durham inform us. When the shrine was destroyed in 1542, the bones were interred beneath the site of the shrine and were left undisturbed until 1831, when they were exhumed, examined, enclosed in a lead-lined coffin and replaced in the tomb. “The most interesting monument here is the plain altar-slab which marks the burial-place of the great Northumbrian scholar. On the tomb are engraved the well-known words, Hac sunt in foss BedÆ Venerabilis ossa (In this grave lie the bones of the Venerable Bede). According to the old legend the monk, who was casting about for a word to complete the scansion of his line between BedÆ and ossa, left a space blank until he could in the morning return to his task with a mind refreshed. However, during the night an unknown hand added the metrically suitable Venerabilis. This, according to the legend, is the origin of the peculiar preface Venerable, always associated with the name of Bede.”—(T.) There are few monuments and tombs in Durham Cathedral. The most interesting is that of Lord Ralph Neville and his wife, Lady Alice, in the south side of the nave. Unfortunately the effigies of 1367 and 1364 are much mutilated. Near them is the altar-tomb of Lord John Neville (died, 1386), and his wife, the daughter of Lord Henry Percy, the famous “Hotspur.” Their effigies are headless and mutilated, but traces of colour and gilding are to be seen. The carving of the canopies is very beautiful and between each of the niches are two square panels bearing the arms of Neville and Percy. We now come to the transepts. Each consists of two bays, with an aisle on the eastern side, to which three steps lead. In these at one time altars stood—to St. Nicholas and St. Giles, to St. Gregory and St. Benedict in the north transept; and to St. Faith and St. Thomas the Apostle, to Our Lady of Bolton and Our Lady of Houghhall, in the south transept. A large window ornaments and lights each end. The one in the north end is supposed to date from 1362. It is composed of six lights, and the Now we come to the Tower, supported on four large Norman piers with semicircular arches. We look above about seventy feet and see the first story of the lantern with a gallery. Panels, grotesque heads, corbels, crockets and finials and a string-course ornamented with the Tudor flower give us plenty to study. Then come the windows, each with two lights and divided by a transom, and, last of all, the handsome groined roof with bosses on the ribs. The Choir is the earliest part of the church. It contains Early Norman, Early English and Early Decorated work. The two later styles occur in the eastern part, and much beautiful detail is to be enjoyed. Where the one leaves off and the other begins affords interesting study. Carileph’s work is seen in the western bays. Arcades adorn the piers on both sides of the choir. The lower row has six arches and the upper three. An altar-tomb with the effigy of Bishop Hatfield (1345-1381), beneath the Bishop’s Throne, reminds us of the days when bishops were princes and warriors. Hatfield led eighty archers to the siege of Calais; and during his rule at Durham the battle of Neville’s Cross occurred (see page 236). Such a magnificent bishop had to have a magnificent tomb; and so, according to the custom of the day, he designed one for himself. Here he lies beneath a canopy that once was bright with painting and gilding. His effigy shows his splendid robes. The Screen, separating the choir from the nave, dates from 1870-1876. The Choir-stalls were made from 1660 to 1672 to replace the originals destroyed by the Scottish prisoners incarcerated in the Cathedral in 1650 after the battle of Dunbar. Above the high altar rises the splendid Neville Screen, erected about 1380 chiefly at the expense of John, Lord Neville of Raby. It runs along the entire choir, and forms sedilia of four seats on either side. The screen was originally filled with 107 statues. The Virgin stood in the centre, and one side of her was St. Cuthbert, and on the other St. Oswald. “The prior of the day employed at his own expense seven masons for nearly a year to fix the screen, the execution of which is supposed to have been the fruit of the labours of French artists. The screen originally was much more elaborate than at present, being covered with The Neville screen is pierced by two doors that lead directly to the Shrine of St. Cuthbert in the Chapel of the Nine Altars just behind it; for in this chapel repose the bones of the patron saint. Facing the great rose window there is an oblong platform (37 × 23 feet), about six feet higher than the floor. The shrine was placed here in 1104 and remained until 1540, when the body was taken from it and buried beneath this spot. The Chapel of the Nine Altars was so named because beneath the nine lancet windows formerly stood nine altars to the following saints: (1), St. Andrew and St. Mary Magdalen; (2), St. John the Baptist and St. Margaret; (3), St. Thomas of Canterbury and St. Catherine; (4), St. Oswald and St. Lawrence; (5), St. Cuthbert and St. Bede; (6), St. Martin; (7), St. Peter and St. Paul; (8), St. Aidan and St. Helen; (9), St. Michael the Archangel. “It is approached from the aisles by steps, the floor level being lower than that of the church proper. It is altogether a remarkable and interesting structure. With its lightness and loftiness contrasting grandly with the massive Norman nave and choir, its clustered columns of polished marble alternating with stone, its fine bold sculpture, its splendid vaulted roof and rich arcading, it forms a perfect example of the Early English style. Though regular and symmetrical in general design, the detail shows great variety, and even irregularity, a quality so often present in old work, and so much to its advantage. “The ‘New Work,’ as it was always called, was commenced in the year 1242. The eastern wall, with its rose and nine lancet windows, is the earliest part of the chapel, the north and south walls being later. The joining and “A very beautiful arcade runs completely round the walls. It is of trefoil arches deeply and richly moulded, supported on marble columns carved with foliage. Over the arches is a hood-mould terminating with heads. In the spandrels are a series of deeply sunk and moulded quatrefoils, two of which contain sculpture. The bases of the columns rest on a plinth. Surmounting this arcade is a moulded string from the level of which rise the windows, and above the windows another string-course and a second range of windows. In the centre bay, however, is the large rose window, which is over thirty feet in diameter. “The division of the chapel into three bays is effected by two main vaulting arches, which spring on the western side from the piers of the east end of the choir, and on the eastern side from responds of clustered shafts alternately of marble and stone, banded at intervals and having richly carved capitals. The arches themselves are deeply moulded and ornamented with dog-tooth ornament and foliage. The vault of the central bay has eight ribs—two springing from each of the clusters just described, and two from each of the choir piers. The vaulting of the remaining bays is quadripartite, but has peculiarities which are worthy of notice, arising from inequality of width. We must not omit to call attention to the exquisite sculpture of the vaulting. The centre has figures of the Four Evangelists, while in the north is a beautifully executed carving of vine and grapes, and in the south, figure subjects. Among the sculptured heads on the wall arcade at the south end, at the western side of the two bays into which the south wall is divided, are two which are portraits of the men to whom we owe the design and execution of the beautiful sculpture of this chapel. One is an elderly man, the other much younger, and both wear linen dust-caps over their heads.”—(J. E. B.) The rich and varied carving of the capitals of the vaulting-shafts and vaulting-bosses will delight the lover of beautiful sculpture. The beautiful Early Decorated north window of six lights was originally filled with glass illustrating the history of Joseph. Hence it was called Joseph’s Window. It is a particularly fine example of the tracery of the period. The two windows in the south end of this transept were once filled with glass representing the life and miracles of St. Cuthbert. They show tracery of the Perpendicular period. Each window is divided by a central mullion and is widely splayed inwards. The rose window over the lancets of the middle bay consists of an outer circle of twenty-four and an inner circle of twelve radiating lights, the mullions of which are received on a foliated circle in the centre. This is Wyatt’s work, for, as we have seen, he removed the fine Early English window from this place. The Cloisters and the Chapter-House we find on the south side of the Cathedral. The cloisters were begun in 1388-1406 and completed about 1438. They are much altered and restored. From them various halls of the monks could be entered. From the eastern alley we pass into the Chapter-House, a restoration of what was considered the finest Norman Chapter-House in England when Wyatt pulled it down. |
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