Bristol Cathedral, Bristol

Though lacking a tradition of pilgrimage, this cathedral is a medieval masterpiece and is now served by a modern one-day pilgrim route from the village of Aust

Highlights

• Unrivalled Romanesque architecture
• Former monastery church
• Ongoing social justice work

Bristol as a city has much occasion to boast and much to repent in its long history of trade and seafaring, both of them perfectly encapsulated in its stunning Romanesque cathedral. The wealth of the city’s leading citizens helped to create this medieval masterpiece, which houses many of their tombs in the north transept. The cathedral is also careful to remind visitors, that much of the seafaring that brought such riches revolved around the slave trade. Today the cathedral organizes a social justice network, tackling such issues as modern slavery.

Bristol’s cathedral began life in a rather more spiritual fashion as an Augustinian monastery church, built in a fabulous architectural style after its foundation in 1140. The chapter house was built 20 years later and is considered a European masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. The Elder Lady Chapel, so called because a second lady chapel was later added to the church, is carved with a rich menagerie of animals, some of them clearly acting in human roles such as the band of furry musicians.

The building was saved at the Dissolution of the monasteries, perhaps helped by lobbying from citizens of what was by then a powerful and wealthy trading city. The monastery was converted into a cathedral in 1542, the seat of the newly created bishop and diocese of Bristol. It has been dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity ever since.

It is often claimed that no less an authority than Bede himself identifies Bristol as the venue for an important synod convened by St Augustine of Canterbury in the year 603, although having read all of his historical texts I feel obliged to point out that he doesn’t. There is however one very concrete piece of evidence that later Anglo-Saxon devotion found focus on this site, in the shape of an exquisite piece of ancient carving showing the Harrowing of Hell. Now on display in the south transept, it shows Jesus Christ carrying a tall cross as he releases the naked souls from captivity.

With such riches, the history and heritage of Bristol’s monastery and later cathedral are scarcely in need of Bede’s embellishment. The medieval community here never seemed to make much of an effort to develop a pilgrimage profile, clearly finding the funds to pay for such elaborate architecture from its local sponsors. A modern-day pilgrimage route is available from britishpilgrimage.org, leading from the village of Aust at the mouth of the river Severn–incidentally, another location sometimes identified as the site of St Augustine’s elusive synod.

The cathedral was also the setting for the ordination of the Church of England’s first women priests on 12 March 1994, opening a new chapter in the country’s spiritual development as 32 were ordained by the cathedral’s bishop.

Directions

Bristol Cathedral, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TJ

www.bristol-cathedral.co.uk

W3W: towers.hidden.spin

GPS: 51.4518N 2.6012W

The cathedral entrance is from the college green on the north side of the building. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with eveningsong or evening prayer from 5:15 p.m.; Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with evensong at 3:30 p.m.