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Winchester Cathedral

Coordinates: 51°3′38″N 1°18′47″W / 51.06056°N 1.31306°W / 51.06056; -1.31306 Coordinates: Extra unexpected parameters

This exterior view at Winchester, taken from near the north west corner of the cathedral, and with a war memorial statue in the foreground, looks acutely along the north side of the building, showing it receding into the distance.
Winchester Cathedral is the longest mediaeval church in the world, 169 metres (554 ft).
This interior view at Winchester shows the whole length of the nave, which has huge stone piers which appear to comprise clusters of upward-sweeping stone shafts. The stone vault has ribs which sweep up to a point and have been likened to the branches of trees in a forest. The overall effect is visually spectacular.
The nave of Winchester, gives an impression of height as well as length, but at 23.7 metres (78 ft) it is half the height of Beauvais.

Winchester Cathedral is a mediaeval Anglican church in Winchester, Hampshire. It is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester.

The cathedral has the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. By contrast, the interior height of the nave vault at 78 feet is about half that of Beauvais Cathedral in France.[1]

Architecture

Built between 1079 and 1532, Winchester Cathedral has had an unusual architectural history. The exterior, apart from the modified windows, gives the impression of a massive Norman building and indeed, when first completed, the Norman Cathedral was second only in size to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. However, the west front is now Perpendicular, with its huge window filled with fragments of medieval glass. Sadly this glass window was destroyed by the Roundheads.They also messed up the bones of some of the most important rulers. Inside, only the crypt and the transepts have retained their Norman appearance. The spectacular Perpendicular nave with its tall arcade arches and strong vertical emphasis has been literally carved out of the original Norman interior. The Very Rev. Norman Sykes wrote of it “Well might the visitor who enters … by the west door gasp with amazement".[2] Winchester is also famous for its carved wooden fittings of many different periods.[1][3]

Events

Important events which took place at Winchester Cathedral include:

Winchester Cathedral Media

  • South Transept at Winchester Cathedral

  • William of Wykeham’s remodelled Gothic nave, the longest in Europe

  • The west front in June 1980, before restoration began

  • Winchester Cathedral west facade dawn

  • The presbytery vault in February 2009, before restoration

  • The same vault in November 2020, after restoration

  • Nave cross section showing how it was transformed from Norman (right) to Gothic (left)

  • Winchester Cathedral Organ

  • The inscription on the tenor bell at the Cathedral shows 'Edward Octavi' crossed out due to the King's abdication.

  • Rose cultivar 'Winchester Cathedral', Austin 1992

Related pages

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alec Clifton-Taylor 1967. The Cathedrals of England Thames & Hudson, London.
  2. ↑ Sykes N. A pictorial history of Winchester Cathedral.
  3. ↑ Hampshire: Winchester and the North, Nickolaus Pevsner and others ISBN 978 0 300 12084 4, 2010
  4. ↑ Park Honan 1987. Jane Austen: her life. St. Martin's Press, New York, p407. ISBN 0-312-01451-1

Other websites

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