Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral is the Anglican bishop's church in Winchester (Hampshire) and one of the largest cathedrals in England. The oldest part of the current cathedral is the crypt, which dates back to the early 12th century. The construction of the stout square tower began in 1202 and exhibits influences of Norman style. The building continued during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Restoration work was carried out by T.G. Jackson between 1905 and 1912. The cathedral is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, to Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and to Saint Swithun, a 9th-century saint who was bishop of Winchester from 852 to 862.

The old cathedral, the Old Minster, was founded in 642. In 971, the Old Minster was restored. On that occasion, a relic shrine of the 9th-century bishop St. Swithun was put into use, and this saint also became one of the patron saints of the cathedral. In 1079, under the first Norman bishop Walkelin, construction began on the current cathedral, which was consecrated on April 8, 1093, in the presence of nearly all the bishops and abbots of England. Before the Old Minster was demolished in the same year, all important graves and relics, dating from before the construction, were transferred to the new cathedral. Examples include the remains of various Anglo-Saxon kings, including the grave of King Alfred the Great, and the relic shrine of Saint Swithun.

King William II (the son of William I) was buried in the cathedral on August 1, 1100, after he died in an accident during a hunt in the nearby New Forest.

The cathedral attracts many tourists, in part because of the grave of the famous English novelist Jane Austen, who died in Winchester. At the beginning of the 20th century, the building suffered from flooding. The foundations of the southern and eastern walls were reinforced by diver William Walker, who worked six hours a day in complete darkness to a depth of six meters between 1906 and 1912. It is thanks to him that parts of the church did not collapse. He was awarded the Royal Victorian Order for this.

Important events that took place in the cathedral:
- the coronation of Edward the Confessor (1043)
- the marriage of Edward and Edith of Wessex (1045)
- the coronation of Matilda of Flanders as queen consort (1068)
- the second coronation of Richard I of England (1194)
- the marriage of Henry IV of England to Joanna of Navarre (1403)
- the marriage of Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain (1554)

Winchester Cathedral may be the only cathedral about which a pop song was written. "Winchester Cathedral" by The New Vaudeville Band was a hit in 1966 in America and the United Kingdom. "Cathedral" by Crosby, Stills & Nash also features this building as a subject.

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