Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln

Destination of numerous pilgrim walks, including a one-day route from Coleby‍

Highlights‍

• Shrine of St Hugh
• Famous cathedral building and artworks

England does have serious earthquakes. A tremor in 1185 destroyed Lincoln’s original cathedral, an early Norman structure. Into the wreckage stepped a French bishop called Hugh, later to be venerated as St Hugh of Lincoln. He set about building one of the most spectacular cathedrals on earth.

His shrine can still be seen in the Angel Choir, the area beyond the high altar. Lincoln Cathedral is the third largest in England, inspired by St Hugh during his life and part funded through pilgrimage to this shrine after his death. By the time of the Reformation, his popular following was second only to St Thomas of Canterbury. Modern pilgrim routes converge here still, with several long and short options listed below.

The pavement around the shrine is worn from the knees of countless pilgrims. It was perhaps used for his head reliquary, which was placed on top of the tall stone structure in a gold casket. The cathedral still regards the shrine plinth as the primary focus of pilgrimage to Lincoln, with a place to light candles alongside. However, the pottery candle holders are said to be in honour of St Gilbert of Sempringham. Two Lincolnshire saints share this space amicably.

St Hugh’s relics and reliquary are missing, presumed destroyed. There was no icon of the saint when last checked in 2019, but an abstract metal sculpture was placed over the shrine in 1986, its curving lines said to represent the shape of a swan: St Hugh kept one as a pet. The tomb and effigy directly behind his shrine are of Bishop Burghersh, not the saint himself.

A sign at the back of the Angel Choir indicates that the saint’s body was originally buried nearer the high altar. A black marble table slab with a Latin inscription was erected in the late 17th century to mark the place. It was once thought that the saint’s relics were reburied here at the Reformation, but excavations have revealed only a lead coffin with some fabric inside. St Hugh’s relics were perhaps destroyed when his shrine was stripped of its precious fittings in 1540.

In the wall above the shrine, hidden amid carved stone foliage, is the face of the Lincoln Imp. This little effigy is one of many grotesques in the building but has a legend attached. A 14th-century story says two imps were sent by Satan to disrupt Christian worship. An angel caught up with them in Lincoln Cathedral and turned one of them to stone while the other escaped.

On a more pious note, there is another characterful carving to be found on the outside of the cathedral. This little figure of a foot-weary pilgrim can be seen above the east window of the minster shop, in the southwest corner of the building.

Though a kind and generous man who went everywhere with his pet swan, St Hugh had a core of steel. He stood up to the king on a number of issues, managing to win grudging respect through his diplomatic skills and firm moral purpose. He was sent to France as a royal ambassador on more than one occasion.

For all his learning and grace, St Hugh was remarkably down to earth, working as a labourer on the cathedral building site. He gave generously to the poor and to lepers. His statue appears on the right-hand pinnacle of the west front, and fittingly enough, the opposite pinnacle is occupied by the ‘Swineherd of Stow,’ a peasant who gave St Hugh every penny he owned as a donation towards the construction. The two still greet modern visitors as they approach the cathedral entrance. The building has three towers, a symbol of the Trinity similar to Lichfield Cathedral.

Other treasures not to be missed include the famous north window, a round work of stained glass known as the Bishop’s Eye, which has a scene of St Hugh’s funeral procession. In the chancel, on the left as you face the high altar, is a medieval Easter Sepulchre, a monument used to store the Blessed Sacrament from Good Friday to Easter morning while a vigil kept watch, remembering Christ’s time in the tomb.

Another Lincoln bishop was venerated as a saint, his shrine placed in the south transept. St John of Dalderby served here from 1300 to 1320, a highly popular leader, though he was never formally canonised. One very early archbishop, St Paulinus, reportedly passed through Lincoln in the 7th century and founded a church here, though nothing survives from his time.

A stone shrine to another medieval figure lies half-forgotten in the south choir aisle. It represents a very different tradition to St Hugh’s loving witness, the burial place of a young boy whose murder in 1255 was falsely claimed to be a Jewish ritual sacrifice. By coincidence, he shares the same name as the cathedral’s famous saint and was known as Little St Hugh. He is no longer considered a saint by any church and was never officially canonised. His story is similar to one in Norwich Cathedral (page 157).

The cathedral wisely presents this shrine as a memorial of English anti-Semitism, with a sign written in conjunction with the local Jewish community. It will never be a story to forget: even a tiny number of noisy clergy continue to peddle the age-old lies to this day. St Hugh himself, by way of contrast, repeatedly stood up to racist lynch mobs in the town, protecting the large Jewish population as best he could from the frenetic anti-Semitism prevalent during Richard I’s reign. He is a perfect example of why saints are worth remembering.

Directions‍

Lincoln Cathedral, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PX‍

www.lincolncathedral.com‍

W3W: locate.salt.defeat

GPS: 53.2344N 0.5374W

Lincoln Central railway station 900m‍

The cathedral is open daily 7:15 am–6 pm, with restricted access to the east end of the building from 5 pm during the evensong service. Tickets are £8 for adults, £6.40 for concessions, £4.80 for children over five, and free for under 5s.