Pictures of Chester Cathedral

a Cathedral in the town of Chester, in the county of Cheshire

About Chester Cathedral

A Minster was built here in the 10th-century to hold the remains of St.Werburgh, a Mercian princess who died in 707. Historically, the status of the church was changed in 1093 by Hugh Lapus, Earl of Chester who together with the help of St.Anselm, founded an abbey of Benedictine monks. The abbey was dissolved in 1540, and the cathedral came into being as a Bishopric in 1541.

Over the centuries, this magnificent building has hardly changed, it retains the lay-out of the original monastery buildings, with court, baptistery, cloisters and chapter house. All are equally impressive, showing superb carving. The Chester Imp is a famous carving of a grotesque figure, this can be seen in the north clerestory of the nave.

Outstanding features of the church are visible at every turn, the woodcarving in the choirstalls is magnificent and dates from around 1380. The bench ends are superb, showing Arthurian legend, mythical beasts, Aesop's fables and St.Werburgh. The shrine of St.Werburgh is overwhelmingly beautiful, it is also evocative of the days when pilgrims came here to spend the night with heads bowed in prayer.

Today Chester Cathedral, Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary is not just a symbol of the past but a living symbol of hundreds of years of worship that continues to this day. There are daily services of Holy Communion, Matins and Evensong. The cathedral is very much at the heart of a strong community who find it a peaceful place for prayer and silent contemplation. It has a choir drawn from schools around the region, and unsurprisingly Choral Evensong heard within these historic walls is a deeply moving, unforgettable experience.

The cathedral is Chester's greatest tourist attraction, annually it welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the country and from all across the globe.

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Nearby travel help

Chester Station	(0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
Bache Station	(0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
M53 Junction 12	(2.2 miles, 3.5 km, direction NE)
M53 Junction 11 / M56 Junction 15	(4.1 miles, 6.5 km, direction N)
Liverpool John Lennon Airport	(9.9 miles, 16.0 km, direction N)
Manchester Airport	(28.3 miles, 45.5 km, direction NE)
Chester Cathedral to London	(164.9 miles, 265.4 km, direction SE)

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