Chichester Cathedral, Chichester

Chichester Cathedral is graced by a great saint, and is the focus of three short pilgrimage routes — it is also on the Old Way

Highlights

• Shrine of St. Richard of Chichester
• Major religious artworks.

Before you even enter the cathedral, you know that Chichester is graced by a great saint. A statue of St. Richard faces the city centre, his hand raised in benediction over the shoppers.

As I stepped through the cathedral doors, a priest was reciting the bishop’s famous prayer. St. Richard served here in the 13th century. His shrine has been revived in recent years, with the return in 1991 of the saint’s arm bone, now buried beneath his altar, and the addition of a large, traditionally drawn Orthodox icon.

Behind the altar is a tapestry by German artist Ursula Benker-Schirmer, woven with Biblical symbols linked to St. Richard’s life. The saint is often depicted with a chalice in remembrance of a Eucharistic miracle: he once dropped the cup during a Mass, but nothing spilt from it. The tapestry also celebrates another local bishop, a figure of immense significance in the 20th century who founded the World Council of Churches.

Bishop George Bell served here from 1929–1958 and worked harder than anyone to promote peace, mutual Christian friendship, and ecumenical relations between the churches. Clearly a positive thinker, he is also remembered by a modern chapel in Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. His ashes are buried in this shrine area.

St. Richard’s grave was the site of miracles and pilgrimage soon after his death in 1253, and he was recognized as a saint in 1262. His relics were scattered at the Reformation, though there is a local tradition that they were taken to the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in West Wittering, 7 miles away. The arm bone that now lies buried under his altar was kept at the Abbey of La Lucerne in Normandy before its return in 1991. A small part of his shrine also survives in the cathedral– the gates into the Lady Chapel.

St. Richard is more widely celebrated in the Anglican than the Catholic communion, though he worked hard to impose Roman discipline. In one revealing statute, he condemns the practice of priests marrying in secret, insisting that they be deprived of their benefices.

The saint’s statue and icon are not the only works of art to grace Chichester’s incomparable cathedral. This building is the closest Britain has to an ecclesiastical art gallery, the earliest works being two outstanding 12th-century relief sculptures in the south choir aisle, one showing the raising of Lazarus. A swirling stained glass window by Russian artist Marc Chagall graces the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, on the right as you leave the Lady Chapel. More famous still is the Arundel Tomb, about which Philip Larkin wrote his poem of the same name. It depicts Richard Fitzalan, a knight from nearby Arundel Castle, in full armour lying beside his lady. In a gesture unheard of until hundreds of years later, he has removed one of his gauntlets to hold his wife’s hand.

Such romantic details are so unusual in medieval art that historians concluded it was a Victorian flight of fancy, introduced during restoration work. A detailed analysis has since proved the sceptics wrong: the statue is just as it was carved in 1376. Philip Larkin’s conclusion has again been proved correct: “What will survive of us is love”.

St. Richard was a much-respected bishop from 1245 to 1253. His shrine was one of the first to be destroyed during the Reformation, in 1538. England’s monarchy has a long memory: King Henry III repeatedly tried to block the appointment of St. Richard until the Pope intervened and threatened the king with excommunication. Five Henrys later and the grudge was repaid.

The prayer of St Richard

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ
For all the benefits thou has given me
For all the pains and insults thou has borne for me.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
Follow thee more nearly

The cathedral was founded in 1075 when the bishopric of Selsey was moved here. The first cathedral burned down in 1187, taking with it most of the surrounding town. By way of curious contrast, the site of the original cathedral at Selsey is now under the sea, due to coastal erosion.

The current building in Chichester mostly dates from the 12th to the 15th centuries. It is becoming increasingly popular as a place of pilgrimage. St. Richard’s traditional saint’s day on 3 April coincides with either Lent or Easter. The Anglican communion has moved celebrations to 16 June to give him greater prominence.

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Directions

Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, West Street, Chichester PO19 1PX

www.chichestercathedral.org.uk

W3W: assure.fight.pounds 

GPS: 50.8363N 0.7816W

The cathedral is open daily 7:15am–6:30pm, closing at 5pm on Sundays. It does not currently charge, donations invited. The church of St. Peter and St. Paul in West Wittering is on Pound Rd, West Wittering PO20 8AJ.