St Mary and St Cuthbert’s Church, Chester-le-Street, Durham

A one-day pilgrimage route known as Cuddy’s Corse covers eight miles along the river to Durham Cathedral‍

Highlights

• ‍‍Former resting place of St Cuthbert
• Anchorite cell

The grandeur of this church should come as no surprise. It was once among England’s holiest places, containing the shrine of St Cuthbert from 883 for more than 100 years. His holy body was eventually moved to Durham. Untold wealth, authority, and the magnificent cathedral followed him there. It could easily have stayed at Chester-le-Street.

Echoes of reflected glory remain, even so. Parts of the chancel date from the later Saxon period, after St Cuthbert’s body had gone. Other carved stonework from the earlier Saxon era is displayed in the Anker’s House Museum, which is attached to the church. This museum is now the most spiritually significant part of the church. Not only does it contain fragments from the St Cuthbert period, but it is also one of the best-preserved anchorite’s cells in the country. It is a bit more spacious than others, such as Compton, Surrey. The life of its resident was constrained to an unimaginable degree even so. The anchorite was walled up for the rest of his or her natural life, to devote their life to prayer, worship, and dispensing advice to pilgrims.

The church sits in the middle of a Roman fort, though it is not immediately obvious, given the beautifully tended lawns. The Anker House has some Roman artifacts among its exhibits. The Saxon building was not merely a shrine but a hugely powerful cathedral. Its diocese extended from Edinburgh to Teesside, from the west coast to the east coast. Along with St Cuthbert’s body came other precious objects, including the head of St Oswald. The monks also brought the Lindisfarne Gospels and the relics of St Eadfrith, the book’s writer and illustrator, who is the first celebrated English artist in history.

It was at Chester-le-Street where the Gospels received their Anglo-Saxon translation, written between the Latin lines by a monk called Aldred. This is the first known translation of the Bible into English, an activity that caused endless trouble in later medieval Europe. Christians need to know their history. All these artifacts were removed in 995 when the monks headed for the relative safety of Durham, fearing further Viking attacks. They had lain at Chester-le-Street for 112 years.

Directions‍

St Mary & St Cuthbert

Church Chare, Chester-le-Street DH3 3QB‍

www.maryandcuthbert.org.uk‍

W3W: begun.vast.scope

GPS: 54.8559N 1.5719W

Chester-le-Street railway station: 450m‍

The church is near the center of town. There is a large public car park opposite. From Easter to October, the church and Anker House are open Mon–Fri 10 am–12:30 pm. During the rest of the year, they are open Mon–Fri 10 am–3 pm, Sat 10:30 am–12:30 pm. Check with the parish office first if traveling a long way to see this church; details are on the website.