Old Sarum Cathedral was a Catholic and Norman cathedral at old Salisbury, now known as Old Sarum, between 1092 and 1220. Only its foundations remain, in the northwest quadrant of the circular outer bailey of the site, which is located near modern Salisbury, Wiltshire, in the United Kingdom. The cathedral was the seat of the bishops of Salisbury during the early Norman period and the original source of the Sarum Rite.
At its greatest height, the Norman cathedral was 185 feet (56 m) from end to end, smaller than most of the cathedrals being constructed at the time. Built in the standard cruciform shape, the building had a nave of seven bays with cross-shaped piers, an apse and a central crossing tower, as well as several peripheral chapels. [1]
The cathedral's six altars comprised the high altar in the presbytery; the altars of St Martin , St Nicholas , and All Saints in three apsidal chapels in the easternmost wall of the church; and the altars of the Holy Cross (the parish altar) and St Stephen in the nave, set against the western side of the pulpitum. [2]
During the Norman conquest of England following his 1066 victory at Hastings, King William I used Old Sarum (known at the time by variants of "Saresbury" or "Salisbury") as a base of operations.[ citation needed ] It was within a newly constructed strong fortress on a high hill (originally the Old Sarum Hill Fort) and was surrounded by the massive walls of the new fortress. In 1075, the Council of London translated Herman to Old Sarum as Seriberiensis episcopus, "bishop of Seribury". [3] The see was a new foundation, uniting the former dioceses of Sherborne and Ramsbury. (Herman's initial choice for his seat had been at Malmesbury, but this plan had been blocked by the local monks and Earl Godwin. [4] ) Its district covered the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, and Berkshire.
The cathedral was begun shortly afterwards [3] but was not completed until after Herman's death in 1078. [5] His successor was Saint Osmund, count of Sées and Lord Chancellor of England. Osmund was William's cousin [6] and largely responsible for the education of Henry I . [7] The cathedral was consecrated on 5 April 1092 with John of Tours, bishop of Bath, in attendance. [8] It suffered extensive damage in a storm, however, traditionally said to have occurred only five days later. [9] [10]
Osmund's successor (after a vacancy of four years) was Roger le Poer, who was not formally consecrated for another five years owing to a dispute between King Henry I and Archbishop Anselm . [11] Roger rebuilt and enlarged sections of the cathedral, completing construction around 1120. Unusually, most of the flooring in the new sections of the cathedral was in patterns of green and white stone. [12] He also served as Henry's viceroy while the king was in Normandy and was closely connected with King Stephen during his reign. Roger constructed a royal palace at Old Sarum between 1130 and 1139. In that year, Stephen antagonized the clergy by demanding the surrender of the castles held by Roger's family, including Old Sarum Castle. He was arrested and his lands sequestrated, dying before the arrival of Matilda and Stephen's deposition.
A dispute between King Stephen and Henry, bishop of Winchester and the papal legate in England, left the see vacant for three years before the consecration of Josceline de Bohon. Around 1150, he obtained permission from Archbishop Theobald to move the cathedral's Feast of the Relics[ whose? ] to September 17, a double feast which permitted pilgrims a 40-day indulgence. [12] Around the same time, the central apse was developed into a single-story chapel while the altar and reliquary were moved into the chancel. [12] Josceline was excommunicated by Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170, ostensibly for having assisted in the coronation of Henry II's son Henry. [13] His case was ignored by Rome until after Becket's assassination: he was finally pardoned in 1172 [14] and held his see until his resignation to become a Cistercian monk in 1184.
The see was again vacant for another five years before the consecration of Hubert Walter at the behest of the newly installed King Richard I . Richard's father Henry II had maintained the vacancy in order to retain its revenue, [15] but Walter had been duly elected by the cathedral chapter at York and Richard provided him the position at Sarum in order to name his own half-brother Geoffrey as archbishop. [16] [17] Walter then abandoned his appeal to Rome [17] and accompanied Richard on the Third Crusade. While abroad, he negotiated with Saladin and completed a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but he was translated to Canterbury upon his return.
The next bishop, Herbert Poore, was elected and consecrated the next year in 1194. He succeeded in naming his brother Richard as dean of the cathedral chapter in 1197 and the two of them received permission from King Richard to move the cathedral from Old Sarum, [18] where it was exposed and lacked a large water supply, [19] sometime before the turn of the century. [18] The 12th-century Peter of Blois had described the old church site as "barren, dry, and solitary, exposed to the rage of the wind" and the cathedral itself as "a captive on the hill where it was built, like the ark of God shut up in the profane house of Baal." [20] Bishop Herbert was, however, disliked by Walter, now archbishop over the diocese. He was dispossessed of his lands and forced into exile in Normandy in 1198. He was unable to return to his see until he paid a further large fine. Herbert eventually befriended King John [ citation needed ] but was unable to accomplish much in the chaos surrounding his reign. [18] Bishop Herbert fled to Scotland in 1209 during the interdict against King John and was not restored to his diocese's temporalities until 1213. [3] He died in 1217 and his diocese was given to his brother Richard.
A dispute between Richard and the military garrison at Old Sarum led to Richard receiving royal permission to move his seat [21] to his estate at Merryfield in the Salisbury Plain. Old Sarum Cathedral was slowly dismantled, with its stone transported to the new site and used to construct the present Salisbury Cathedral, whose site was consecrated in 1220. [19] The new Early English-style cathedral was completed by 1258. [22] A licence to build the new cathedral close wall with stone from the ruins of the Old Sarum cathedral was granted in 1327; it was completed in 1331. [23] The remains at the cathedral seem to have initially been left undisturbed: it was not until July 23 in the year of his canonization, 1457, that the relics of Saint Osmund were translated to Salisbury Cathedral.
The remains of the cathedral, together with the ruined 12th and 13th century fortifications, were designated as Grade I listed in 1972. [24]
The pavement of the cathedral was excavated in 1913. [12]
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately 20 miles from Southampton and 30 miles from Bath.
Theobald of Bec was a Norman archbishop of Canterbury from 1139 to 1161. His exact birth date is unknown. Some time in the late 11th or early 12th century Theobald became a monk at the Abbey of Bec, rising to the position of abbot in 1137. King Stephen of England chose him to be Archbishop of Canterbury in 1138. Canterbury's claim to primacy over the Welsh ecclesiastics was resolved during Theobald's term of office when Pope Eugene III decided in 1148 in Canterbury's favour. Theobald faced challenges to his authority from a subordinate bishop, Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester and King Stephen's younger brother, and his relationship with King Stephen was turbulent. On one occasion Stephen forbade him from attending a papal council, but Theobald defied the king, which resulted in the confiscation of his property and temporary exile. Theobald's relations with his cathedral clergy and the monastic houses in his archdiocese were also difficult.
Roger of Salisbury, was a Norman medieval bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England.
Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about two miles north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest records in the country. It is an English Heritage property and is open to the public.
Richard Poore or Poor was a medieval English bishop best known for his role in the establishment of Salisbury Cathedral and the City of Salisbury, moved from the nearby fortress of Old Sarum. He served as Bishop of Chichester, Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham.
Osmund, Count of Sées, was a Norman noble and clergyman. Following the Norman conquest of England, he served as Lord Chancellor and as the second bishop of Salisbury, or Old Sarum.
The Use of Sarum is the liturgical use of the Latin rites developed at Salisbury Cathedral and used from the late eleventh century until the English Reformation. It is largely identical to the Roman Rite, with about ten per cent of its material drawn from other sources. The cathedral's liturgy was widely respected during the late Middle Ages, and churches throughout the British Isles and parts of northwestern Europe adapted its customs for celebrations of the Eucharist and canonical hours. The use has a unique ecumenical position in influencing and being authorized by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches.
The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset, and most of Wiltshire. The diocese is led by Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury, and by the diocesan synod. The bishop's seat is at Salisbury Cathedral.
Thomas of Bayeux was Archbishop of York from 1070 until 1100. He was educated at Liège and became a royal chaplain to Duke William of Normandy, who later became King William I of England. After the Norman Conquest, the king nominated Thomas to succeed Ealdred as Archbishop of York. After Thomas' election, Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, demanded an oath from Thomas to obey him and any future Archbishops of Canterbury; this was part of Lanfranc's claim that Canterbury was the primary bishopric, and its holder the head of the English Church. Thomas countered that York had never made such an oath. As a result, Lanfranc refused to consecrate him. The King eventually persuaded Thomas to submit, but Thomas and Lanfranc continued to clash over ecclesiastical issues, including the primacy of Canterbury, which dioceses belonged to the province of York, and the question of how York's obedience to Canterbury would be expressed.
Roger de Pont L'Évêque was Archbishop of York from 1154 to 1181. Born in Normandy, he preceded Thomas Becket as Archdeacon of Canterbury, and together with Becket served Theobald of Bec while Theobald was Archbishop of Canterbury. While in Theobald's service, Roger was alleged to have committed a crime which Becket helped to cover up. Roger succeeded William FitzHerbert as archbishop in 1154, and while at York rebuilt York Minster, which had been damaged by fire.
Reginald Fitz Jocelin was a medieval Bishop of Bath and an Archbishop of Canterbury-elect in England. A member of an Anglo-Norman noble family, he was the son of a bishop, and was educated in Italy. He was a household clerk for Thomas Becket, but by 1167 he was serving King Henry II of England. He was also a favourite of King Louis VII of France, who had him appointed abbot of the Abbey of Corbeil. After Reginald angered Becket while attempting to help negotiate a settlement between Becket and the king, Becket called him "that offspring of fornication, that enemy to the peace of the Church, that traitor." When he was elected as a bishop, the election was challenged by King Henry's eldest son, Henry the Young King, and Reginald was forced to go to Rome to be confirmed by Pope Alexander III. He attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179, and spent much of his time administering his diocese. He was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1191, but died before he could be installed.
Josceline de Bohon or Bohun was an Anglo-Norman religious leader.
Alexander of Lincoln was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln, a member of an important administrative and ecclesiastical family. He was the nephew of Roger of Salisbury, a Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England under King Henry I, and he was also related to Nigel, Bishop of Ely. Educated at Laon, Alexander served in his uncle's diocese as an archdeacon in the early 1120s. Unlike his relatives, he held no office in the government before his appointment as Bishop of Lincoln in 1123. Alexander became a frequent visitor to King Henry's court after his appointment to the episcopate, often witnessing royal documents, and he served as a royal justice in Lincolnshire.
Herbert Poore or Poor (died 1217) was a medieval English clergyman who held the post of Bishop of Salisbury during the reigns of Richard I and John.
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat is in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The current bishop is Stephen Lake.
Robert the Lotharingian was a priest who became Bishop of Hereford following the Norman Conquest of England. His writings serve as one of the best sources for information on the process of compiling the Domesday Book, and he may have introduced the abacus to England.
Hilary was a medieval bishop of Chichester in England. English by birth, he studied canon law and worked in Rome as a papal clerk. During his time there, he became acquainted with a number of ecclesiastics, including the future Pope Adrian IV, and the writer John of Salisbury. In England, he served as a clerk for Henry of Blois, who was the bishop of Winchester and brother of King Stephen of England. After Hilary's unsuccessful nomination to become Archbishop of York, Pope Eugene III compensated him by promoting him to the bishopric of Chichester in 1147.
Henry Marshal was a medieval Bishop of Exeter.
Events from the 1070s in England.
Salisbury Cathedral School is a co-educational independent school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, which was founded in 1091 by Saint Osmund. The choristers of Salisbury Cathedral are educated at the school.