Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral was the world's tallest building from ~1300 to 1549. *
Preceded by	Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
Surpassed by	St Olav Tallinn
Information
Location	Lincoln, England
Status	Complete
Constructed	1092-1311
Height
Antenna/Spire	Original: 160 m (525 ft. The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. St Olaf’s church or St Olav's church ( Estonian: Oleviste kirik) in Tallinn, Estonia, is believed to have been built in the 12th Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ) Current: 82. 6 m (271 ft. )
*Fully habitable, self-supported, from main entrance to highest structural or architectural top; see the list of tallest buildings in the world for other listings. These are lists of Skyscrapers, ranked by structural height (vertical elevation from the base to the highest architectural or integral structural element of the

Lincoln Cathedral (in full The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, or sometimes St. Mary's Cathedral) is a historic cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Diocese of Lincoln in the Church of England. Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican It was the tallest building in the world for over 200 years (1300-1549), but the central spire collapsed in the sixteenth century and was not rebuilt. It is highly regarded by architectural scholars; the eminent Victorian writer John Ruskin declared, "I have always held. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities John Ruskin (8 February 1819 &ndash 20 January 1900 is best known for his work as an Art critic, sage writer, and Social critic, but is remembered . . that the cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have. "

History

William the Conqueror ordered the first cathedral to be built in Lincoln, in 1072. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages Before that, St. Mary's Church in Lincoln was a mother church but not a cathedral, and the seat of the diocese was at Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of five meanings The first Mission church in an area or a Pioneer This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral Dorchester-on-Thames is a Village on the Thames in Oxfordshire, England. Lincoln was more central to a diocese that stretched from the Thames to the Humber. Bishop Remigius built the first Lincoln Cathedral on the present site, finishing it in 1092 and then dying two days before it was to be consecrated on May 9 of that year. Remigius de Fécamp (or just Remigius) (d 1092 was a Benedictine monk who was a supporter of William the Conqueror. Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service usually religious Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of About fifty years later, most of that building was destroyed in a fire. Bishop Alexander rebuilt and expanded the cathedral, but it was destroyed by an earthquake about forty years later, in 1185. Alexander of Lincoln (Latin Alexander Lincolniensis) (died in early 1148 Bishop of Lincoln, was born in Blois, France. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer

Norman West front

After the earthquake, a new bishop was appointed. The new bishop was St Hugh of Lincoln, originally from Avallon, France; he began a massive rebuilding and expansion programme. Saint Hugh of Lincoln redirects here See also Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln. Avallon is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Rebuilding began at the east end of the cathedral, with an apse and five small radiating chapels. The central nave was then built in the Early English Gothic style. See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. Lincoln Cathedral soon followed other architectural advances of the time - pointed arches, flying buttresses and ribbed vaulting were added to the cathedral. A buttress is an architectural structure built against (a counterfort) or projecting from a Wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall The intersection of two or three Barrel vaults produces a rib-vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns This allowed the creation and support of larger windows.

The cathedral is the 3rd largest in Britain (in floor space) after St Paul's and York Minster, being 484ft by 271ft. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. York Minster is a Gothic Cathedral in York, England and is the second largest of its kind in Northern Europe (largest is the It is Lincolnshire's largest building and until 1549 the tower was the tallest medieval tower in Europe. Accompanying the cathedral's large bell, Great Tom of Lincoln, is a quarter-hour striking clock. The clock was installed in the early 19th century.

There are thirteen bells in the south-west tower, two in the north west tower, and five in the central tower (including Great Tom).

The matching Dean's Eye and Bishop’s Eye were added to the cathedral during the late Middle Ages. The former, the Dean's Eye in the north transept dates from the 1192 rebuild begun by St Hugh, it was finally completed in 1235. The latter, the Bishop’s eye, in the south transept was re-constructed 100 years later in 1330. A contemporary record, “The Metrical Life of St Hugh”, refers to the meaning of these two windows (one on the dark, north, side and the other on the light, south, side of the building):

“For north represents the devil, and south the Holy Spirit and it is in these directions that the two eyes look. The bishop faces the south in order to invite in and the dean the north in order to shun; the one takes care to be saved, the other takes care not to perish. With these Eyes the cathedral’s face is on watch for the candelabra of Heaven and the darkness of Lethe (oblivion). ”

After the additions of the Dean’s eye and other major Gothic additions it is believed some mistakes in the support of the tower occurred, for in either in 1237 or 1239 the main tower collapsed. A new tower was soon started and in 1255 the Cathedral petitioned Henry III to allow them to take down part of the town wall to enlarge and expand the Cathedral, including the rebuilding of the central tower and spire. Henry III (1 October 1207 &ndash 16 November 1272 was the son and successor of John "Lackland" as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 They replaced the small rounded chapels (built at the time of St Hugh) with a larger east end to the cathedral. This was to handle the increasing number of pilgrims to the Cathedral, who came to worship at the shrine of Hugh of Lincoln. Saint Hugh of Lincoln redirects here See also Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln.

View into the crossing

Between the years 1307 and 1311 the central tower was raised to its present height of 83 m (271 feet). The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The western towers and front of the cathedral were also improved and heightened. At this time, a tall lead-encased wooden spire topped the central tower but was blown down in a storm in 1549. With its spire, the tower reputedly reached a height of 525 feet (which would have made it the world's tallest structure, surpassing the Great Pyramid of Giza, which held the record for almost 4000 years). While determining the world's tallest structure has generally been straightforward the definition of the world's tallest building or the The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three Other additions to the cathedral at this time included its elaborate carved screen and the 14th century misericords, as was the Angel choir. For a large part of the length of the cathedral, the walls have arches in relief with a second layer in front giving the illusion of a passageway along the wall. However the illusion does not work, as the stonemason, copying techniques from France, did not make the arches the correct length needed for the illusion effect.

In the nave

In 1290 Eleanor of Castile died. For others known sometimes by same name see Leonora of Castile For other Eleanors of England see Eleanor of England (disambiguation As his Queen Consort of England, King Edward I decided to honour her with an elegant funeral procession. Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost After embalming, which in the thirteenth century involved evisceration, Eleanor's viscera were buried in Lincoln cathedral, and Edward placed a duplicate of the Westminster tomb there. Disembowelment ( evisceration) is the removing of some or all of the vital organs usually from the Abdomen. Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. The Lincoln tomb's original stone chest survives; its effigy was destroyed in the 17th century and replaced with a 19th-century copy. On the outside of Lincoln Cathedral are two prominent statues often identified as Edward and Eleanor, but these images were heavily restored in the 19th century and probably were not originally intended to depict the couple.

Further information: Eleanor cross

In 1398 John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford founded a chantry there to pray for their souls, and in the 15th century the building of the cathedral turned to chantry or memorial chapels. The Eleanor crosses were 12 lavishly decorated stone monuments of which three survive intact in a line down part of the east of England. John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster (second creation 1st Duke of Aquitaine (6 March 1340 &ndash 3 February 1399 was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third Katherine Swynford (also spelled Synford) née (de Roet (also spelled (de Rouet or (de Roelt ( 25 November Chantry is the English term for the establishment of an institutional Chapel on private land or within a greater church where a priest would chant masses The chapels next to the Angel Choir were built in the Perpendicular style, with an emphasis on strong vertical lines, which survive today in the window tracery and wall panelling.

Magna Carta

The Bishop of Lincoln was one of the signatories to the Magna Carta and for hundreds of years the Cathedral has held one of the four remaining copies of the original. Magna Carta ( Latin for Great Charter, literally " Great Paper " also called Magna Carta Libertatum ( Great Charter of Freedoms It now resides in the nearby Lincoln Castle, where it is on permanent display. This article is about a Norman castle in Lincoln England Lincoln Castle is also the name of a Paddle steamer which served as a There are three other surviving copies, two at the British Library and one at Salisbury Cathedral. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. Salisbury Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture

The Lincoln Imp

Main article: Lincoln Imp

The View from the Tower of Lincoln Cathedral towards Lincoln Castle

The View from Lincoln Castle

One of the stone carvings within the Cathedral is the Lincoln Imp. The Lincoln Imp is the symbol of the City of Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, England. The Lincoln Imp is the symbol of the City of Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, England. There are several variations of the legend surrounding the figure.

According to 14th-century legend, two mischievous creatures called imps were sent by Satan to do evil work on Earth. After causing mayhem elsewhere in Northern England the two imps headed to Lincoln Cathedral where they smashed tables and chairs and tripped up the Bishop. An angel appeared in the Angel Choir and ordered them to stop. One of the imps sat atop a stone pillar started throwing rocks at the angel whilst the other imp cowered under the broken tables and chairs. The angel turned the first imp to stone allowing the second imp to escape. The imp that turned to stone, the Lincoln Imp, can still be found, frozen in stone, sitting atop his stone column in the Angel Choir.

Wren library

The Wren Library houses a rare collection of over 277 manuscripts, including the text of the Bede. Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c

Main article: Lincoln Cathedral Library

Today

Floor plan of Lincoln Cathedral

Interior view, at the eastern end of St. The Lincoln Cathedral Library is a library of Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire, England Hugh's Choir.

According to the cathedral website, over £1 million a year is spent on keeping the cathedral in shape; the most recent project completed has been the restoration of the West Front in 2000. About ten years ago it was discovered that the flying buttresses on the east end were no longer connected to the adjoining stonework, and repairs were made to prevent collapse. A flying buttress, or arc-boutant, is a specific type of Buttress usually found on a religious building such as a Cathedral. The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of Civilization - creating Buildings structures and Sculpture using stone from the earth The most recent problem was the discovery that the stonework of the Dean's Eye window in the transept was crumbling, meaning that a complete reconstruction of the window has had to be carried out according to the conservation criteria set out by the International Council on Monuments and Sites. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS ( fr: Conseil international des monuments et des sites) is a professional association that works for the conservation

There was a period of great anxiety when it emerged that the stonework only needed to shift 5mm for the entire window to collapse. Specialist engineers removed the window's tracery before installing a strengthened, more stable replacement. In addition to this the original stained glass was cleaned and set behind a new clear isothermal glass which offers better protection from the elements. By April 2006 the renovation project was completed at a cost of £2 million.

Aisle at the east end

Recently, concerns have been growing once more about the state of the West Front, as there has been some stonework falling, which has raised questions as to the effectiveness of the repairs carried out in 2000.

Lincoln Cathedral is at present a very popular destination and is visited by over 250,000 tourists a year. The semi-mandatory entrance fee for week day visiting is £4. 00 or about $8. 00 which is charged on admission throughout the tourist season. The cathedral offers tours of the cathedral, the tower and the roof. The peak of its season is the Lincoln Christmas Market, accompanied by a massive annual production of Handel's Messiah. Lincoln Christmas Market, held in Lincoln, England, is one of the largest Christmas markets in Europe attracting up to 250000 visitors over the four day Messiah ( HWV 56 is an Oratorio by George Frideric Handel based on a Libretto by Charles Jennens. The current Bishop of Lincoln is Dr John Saxbee. Lincoln Cathedral has a new Dean, as the previous, Alec Knight, retired, to be replaced by Philip Buckler, who was previously working in London. The Very Reverend Philip John Warr Buckler (born 1949 is the current Dean of Lincoln; a post he has held since 2006

Choir

The Choir is currently formed of 11 Lay Vicars (three of whom are choral scholars), a team of some 20 boys and a team of some 20 girls who alternate services.

The Cathedral accepted female choristers in 1995. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Lincoln was only the second Cathedral in the country to adopt a separate girls' choir, after Salisbury Cathedral, and remains one of few who provide exactly the same musical opportunities and equal weekly singing duties to both girls and boys. Salisbury Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture All choristers are educated at Lincoln Minster School. Lincoln Minster School ("LMS" or "Minster" is an independent co-educational day and Boarding school in Lincolnshire, England

The Director of Music is Aric Prentice, who conducts the choir of girls and men, and the Assistant Director of Music is Charles Harrison, who conducts the choir of boys and men. Charles Harrison may refer to Charles "Chuck" Harrison, industrial designer at Sears Roebuck Charles W The Organist Laureate is Colin Walsh, previously Organist and Master of the Choristers, and the Assistant Organist is Benjamin Chewter. Colin David Walsh (born 22 July 1962) is a former Scottish footballer. Like any great cathedral, Lincoln has had its share of organists who have achieved international renown: perhaps the most famous is William Byrd, the Renaissance composer. William Byrd (c 1540 &ndash 4 July 1623 was an English Composer of the Renaissance. Although it is uncertain whether Byrd was born in Lincoln as has been claimed, he was organist at the Cathedral from 1563 until 1572, and continued to compose works specifically for the cathedral choir after his departure.

In popular culture

Literature

• An important scene in D. H. Lawrence's novel, The Rainbow, takes place at Lincoln Cathedral. David Herbert Richards Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930 was an English writer of the 20th century whose prolific and diverse output included Novels short
• The cathedral features in Ken Follett's novel The Pillars of the Earth. Ken Follett (born June 5, 1949) is a British Author of thrillers and historical novels The Pillars of the Earth is a Historical novel by Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a Cathedral in Kingsbridge

Film

• The cathedral was used for the filming of The Da Vinci Code (based on the book of the same name). The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 Feature film, which is based on the bestselling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown The Da Vinci Code is a controversial mystery / detective Novel by US author Dan Brown, published in 2003 by Doubleday Filming took place mainly within the cloisters and chapter house of the cathedral, and remained a closed set. The Cathedral took on the role of Westminster Abbey, as the Abbey had refused to permit filming. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Although there was protest at the filming, the filming was completed by the end of August 2005. In order to make the Lincoln chapter house appear similar to the Westminster Chapter House, murals were painted on a special layer over the existing wall, and elsewhere polystyrene replicas of Isaac Newton's tomb and other Abbey monuments were set up. For a time these murals and replicas remained in the Chapter House, as part of a Da Vinci Code exhibit for visitors, but in January 2008 they were all sold off in an auction to raise money for the Cathedral. [1]
• The cathedral also doubled as Westminster Abbey for the film Young Victoria, filmed in September 2007. The Young Victoria is a Jean-Marc Vallée Film set for 2008 release [2]

See also

• List of cathedrals in the United Kingdom
• List of tallest churches
• Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England
• English Gothic architecture
• Romanesque architecture
• Church of England

References

• "Lincoln Cathedral: Official Guide", Diocese of Lincoln
• "Lincoln Cathedral" by Peter B G Binnall, Pitkin Publishing

External links

• Choir Association Website
• Lincoln Cathedral Official Website
• The Cathedral Church of Lincoln: a history and description of its fabric
• Large collection of pictures and info on Lincoln Cathedral
• Thayer's site; includes one whole book on the church
• The Association of the Friends of Lincoln Cathedral
• Adrian Fletcher's Paradoxplace – Lincoln Cathedral Pages
• A history of the choristers of Lincoln Cathedral
• Flickr images tagged Lincoln Cathedral
• Conserving the Dean's Eye window, Ingenia Magazine, December 2007
• Spire graphical reconstruction