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Ely Cathedral - Ely, East Anglia (Pvt)

The magnificent cathedral at Ely, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity, lies at the centre of what was once a thriving monastic community, first founded in 673 by Saint Etheldreda, a Saxon Queen of Northumbria. During the first period of the monastery, both men and women were housed in the surrounding buildings, a joint community of prayer and worship which had three successive women leaders. 

The Danes invaded in 870 and the monastery was refounded in 970 as part of the Benedictine Order. Once again, the monastery was destroyed by invaders - the Normans this time, who attacked Ely as the last stronghold of the Saxon hero, Hereward the Wake - and once again, it was refounded under Abbot Simeon, who set about rebuilding in the Norman style in about 1080. The earliest surviving parts of the present Cathedral, the North and South Transepts, the South Door and the Nave, date from this time. The sole remnant of the Saxon church being a large fragment of the base of a cross in the south aisle. The Norman church was erected not only as a tribute to God, but also as a way of proclaiming the new rulers' dominance - the huge stone buildings going up all over the country confirming their permanence and confidence.

Alterations in new styles can be seen around the church, from the Early English Gothic Galilee Porch at the West End, completed in 1215, the thirteenth century Presbytery where the shrine of Saint Etheldreda was, to the fourteenth century central Octagon Tower and Choir and late fourteenth century Great West Tower and Belfry. Twentieth century statues are also around the building, confirming its continuing relevance. The original Norman tower over the central Crossing collapsed in 1322 and the replacement is the crowning glory of Ely cathedral. It was the work of Alan of Walsingham, sacrist in the abbey and is supported by eight stone pillars and the use of light and space was innovative in its day and still an engineering feat which would not be attempted today. The story of its conception and construction bears comparison to that of the great dome of Florence's duomo, built by Brunelleschi in the fifteenth century. The Choir was also rebuilt following the collapse of the old Tower and the carved wooden choir stall canopies and misericords survive to provide examples of both great craftsmanship and humour.

The huge Lady Chapel, also the work of Alan of Walsingham, is reached through a narrow passageway off the North Transept and was completed in 1349, its construction having been interrupted by the collapse of the Tower and the pressing need for a replacement. It has the widest stone vault in England. At the end of the twentieth century, urgent repairs were carried out to save the Chapel and the sponsors names are recorded, carrying on a long tradition, but here the corporate names replace the medieval family chapels and statues of  former times. The Lady Chapel can be seen below on the left, its huge windows of gothic tracery contrasting with the older Romanesque windows in the main building. The Octagon can also be seen.   

The last great rebuilding and extension of the Cathedral came during the early sixteenth century, when two fine chantry chapels were built between the South Transept and the Presbytery. The carved surfaces of this late 'decorated' style are exuberant and a fine contrast to the earlier work.

At the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the surrounding medieval buildings were either demolished or put to other uses and those that still survive are now used for many different purposes. The importance of the Church itself remained as the seat of the Bishop for a large portion of East Anglia. The painted decoration and carved statues all suffered under the fury of the iconoclasts of Henry VIII's time, but here and there faint traces remain. 

In the mid-eighteenth century, the medieval rood screen was removed, thus providing an open view which combines superbly with the spaciousness of the octagonal crossing. The ceiling of the Nave was boarded over and painted during the Victorian period and is a fine example of its time. The Cathedral today is both a centre for Christian worship and a tourist attraction, just like in the Middle Ages, when Etheldreda's shrine brought pilgrims to Ely.

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