Winchester Cathedral, Hyde Abbey and St Cross Almshouses

Walking routes abound from this former capital, running to Canterbury, Portsmouth and Winchester, and is also on the St James’ Way, and River Itchen Way

Winchester cathedral was founded when the city ruled the land, and it shows. Until the late 12th century it was Winchester rather than London that served as England’s de facto capital. Nothing remains of its Saxon building however, apart from the bones of many of its founding bishops and kings – and quite possibly its most famous saint.

Highlights

• St Swithun’s shrine and memorial
• Early Saxon minster
• England’s oldest almshouses

Which brings us directly to the shrine of St Swithun. This has been reinstated after a fashion at the far end of the cathedral, and now sees a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. It is described by the cathedral guide as a memorial rather than a full shrine, but is elaborate enough to recall the devotion once paid to the city’s much-loved saint. St Swithun was bishop of Winchester in the mid-9th century, a man greatly venerated for his miracles, wisdom, and kindness to everyday people.

The memorial is a decorated metal frame, with a roof designed to echo medieval shrine canopies. The saint’s relics might also still be somewhere here under the floor.

The original shrine was destroyed at the Reformation, but the Oxford Dictionary of Saints records that his bones might have been quietly buried. It has happened elsewhere. His skull was taken to Évreux Cathed- ral in Normandy before the Reformation, where it remains today, and there has been talk of translating it back home.

St Swithun died in 862 and was originally buried outside the Saxon minster, at his own request. It was a mark of humility: he thought footsteps and raindrops alike should fall on his grave without respect, according to William of Malmesbury in the 12th century. The people of Winchester had other ideas, and he was moved to an indoor shrine on 15 July 971. One tradition says the saint was so upset at being moved that he caused a huge downpour. Hence the popular English proverb that if it rains on St Swithun’s Day (15 July) it will rain for the next 40 days.

The shrine stands in an area known as the retrochoir, behind the high altar. This was built to house the saint’s tomb, and the cathedral still preserves part of a curious medieval shrine structure. A small doorway at the back of the high altar was designed for medieval pilgrims to crawl through, leading them directly under the saint’s tomb. The tiny passageway, known as the ‘holy hole’, brings this vividly to life, the stonework still stained where pilgrims pulled themselves in and out of this healing cave. A row of beautiful icons above the hole diverts any thoughts of an impromptu revival. St Swithun’s icon is on the far right, and that of St Birinus, who also served here, on the far left.

The modern memorial stands a few metres back from this medieval shrine. The saint’s relics were moved away from the holy hole in 1476 to rest in a marble tomb here, destroyed 60 years later at the Reformation. The humble St Swithun must have had mixed feelings as his unwanted shrine was shattered above him, the demolition team later complaining that all its gold and jewels were nothing but fakes.

Another early bishop, St Hedda, was buried in the cathedral after his death in 705 and his relics are also thought to remain here. I can not track down their exact location, but near St Swithun’s shrine seems likely.

The screens beside the choir and the sanctuary have several mortuary chests resting along the top. These are said to contain the bones of many early monarchs and bishops connected to Winchester. Other famous burials in the cathedral include the novelist Jane Austen, whose black tomb slab can be seen in the north aisle.

The cathedral has a permanent exhibition, named ‘Kings and Scribes’, in honour of its rich heritage. Winchester’s first minster was built in 648 by King Cenwalh and St Birinus, the local bishop. St Birinus was based at Dorchester-on-Thames (page 83), but the cathedral moved to Winchester soon after his death. A holy well in the crypt of the cathedral is said to be the place where the saint baptised converts. It is off-limits to visitors.

The presence of this holy well is something of a mixed blessing for the cathedral, since it frequently overflows and floods the crypt. A lovely modern sculpture by Antony Gormley can be seen through the metal railings at the bottom of the crypt stairs, accessed via the north transept. The sculpture is called Sound II, and often stands knee-deep in water.

As the city grew, the original church founded by King Cenwalh was extended, and then a second minster was built alongside in 901. The two buildings were so close that the voices of one choir were said to disrupt the other. Such disharmony finally ended when the Normans began work on the current cathedral in 1079. It opened on 8 April

1093 – a huge building that is still the longest cathedral in England. It also has some fragmentary but remarkable wall paintings on display in the Holy Sepulchre Chapel, facing the north transept. The detail in the patches that survive is among the sharpest and most vivid of any Norman murals, particularly the Christ in Majesty on the ceiling.

No visit would be complete without admiring the Norman font, of black Tournai marble, in the north nave aisle, near Jane Austen’s grave. Two sides have scenes from the life of St Nicholas, appropriate decoration for a baby’s baptism since the saint did so much to help children.The cathedral is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, St Peter, St Paul and St Swithun.

City Museum

More fragments of Winchester’s early Christian story can be seen in the City Museum, which is on the cathedral green. Hardly any Saxon wall painting survives in England, but the museum has a small section of stone with the face of an unknown saint, painted early in the 10th century. It was discovered in the foundations of the cathedral in 1966, and is among the oldest surviving wall paintings in Britain.

Even rarer is the museum’s late 9th-century reliquary, a sort of purse-shaped container made of wood with gilt decorations. It has two cavities for holy relics. A shrivelled piece of parchment protruding from one was probably a name tag for the saint it contained. It was discovered in 1976 during an excavation in Winchester.

Early English Christians put a huge amount of faith in the power of these reliquaries. The historian Eadmer, writing in the early 12th century, was not exaggerating when he wrote of the Anglo- Saxons: “The English were accustomed to consider the relics of the saints more important than anything else in the world.” Only in Winchester can you see an example like this, further emphasising the richness of this city’s spiritual heritage.

Hyde Abbey

In 1110 the monks moved to a new home in Winchester – Hyde Abbey – taking with them many precious relics. These included the shrine of St Barnabas, the colleague of St Paul mentioned in the New Testament, and the relics of St Judoc, a 7th-century French priest. They claimed the head of St Valentine as well. The monks also reburied the bones of King Alfred the Great in front of their new high altar. He was one of the church’s most staunch supporters, ruling at Winchester from 871 to 899.

Little remains of this holy establishment. A gatehouse can be seen on King Alfred Place, 1km north of the cathedral. And at the eastern end of this road there is a small park, Hyde Abbey Garden, on the site of the original abbey church. Three modern slabs have been placed here, marking the former graves of King Alfred, his wife and son. A fragment of pelvis excavated from here in the 1990s is believed to be that of the king or his son Edward the Elder.

St Cross Almshouses

If these Saxon memorials fire you with enthusiasm for medieval worship, the church and almshouses of St Cross on the south side of the city are a near-perfect assembly of Norman architecture. They were founded in 1136 by Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, making it England’s oldest charitable institution.

It still functions today, offering a retirement home to 25 men at any one time. Residents are called the Brothers of St Cross, and although not monks, they must be single and are expected to wear robes and attend church each day. St Cross, incidentally, denotes a dedication to Christ on the Cross. The church of St Faith, a towering Norman building, also serves the local parish. There was a person called St Faith, a 3rd- century French martyr.

Directions

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral, The Close, Winchester SO23 9LS‍

www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk‍

W3W: centuries.wipes.body

GPS: 51.0609N 1.3144W

Winchester City Museum

Winchester City Museum, The Square, Winchester SO23 9ES‍

www.hampshireculture.org.uk

W3W: climate.spark.nags

GPS: 51.0686N 1.3143W

Hyde Abbey Gatehouse

King Alfred Place, Winchester SO23 7DF

W3W: climate.spark.nags

GPS: 51.0686N 1.3143W

St Cross Almshouses

Hospital of St Cross, St Cross Road, Winchester SO23 9SD‍

www.stcrosshospital.co.uk

W3W: wipes.outboard.search

GPS: 51.0480N 1.3220W

The cathedral is open Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 12:30pm–3pm. Entrance costs £9.50 adults, £7.50 concessions, children free.</p><p>Winchester City Museum is on The Square, in the north-west corner of the cathedral green (follow the avenue of trees). It is free to enter, opening times Tues–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun 11am– 4pm, closed Monday.

Hyde Abbey’s gatehouse is on the south side of King Alfred Place, which is 1km north of the cathedral, off the B3047 (Hyde Street). The Hyde Abbey Garden is at the far end of King Alfred Place.

The St Cross almshouses and church are on the south side of the city off the B3335 (St Cross Road).

The turning is next to The Bell Inn, marked by a small brown tourist sign saying ‘St Cross Hospital’.

There is an entrance fee to visit the buildings, including the church.