ST ALBANS CATHEDRAL - from a small church to a great Cathedral. скачать в хорошем качестве

ST ALBANS CATHEDRAL - from a small church to a great Cathedral.

The story of St Albans Cathedral is one of change and continuity spanning centuries, from a small church to a great Cathedral. Ever Changing, Ever Growing Little is known of the early churches built over Alban’s grave. The Shrine of St Alban was the reason for the Abbey’s foundation and the town that grew up around it, and it is said that King Offa of Mercia founded a monastery here in 793. After the Norman invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror appointed Paul of Caen as the first Norman abbot of St Albans and commissioned a new church. Paul started his great rebuilding of the Abbey with the Tower, which still stands today. This Norman church was built from bricks and tiles saved from the ruins of Roman Verulamium. This ambitious project was completed in 1115, under the rule of Abbot Richard d’Albini. The only English pope, Adrian IV, was born locally and granted special privileges to the Abbey, enhancing its reputation and power. In 1213 St Albans Abbey was the meeting place for a group of churchmen and nobles. Their discussions led to Magna Carta which was reluctantly sealed by the king at Runnymede in 1215. Living and Learning The medieval Abbey was famous as a place of learning. The monks who lived here produced high-quality manuscripts in a workshop called the scriptorium. These included bibles and books on science, music and classics.