Norwich Cathedral Quadrangle
Norwich Cathedral is an English cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites.
The cathedral was begun in 1096 and constructed out of flint and mortar and faced with a cream-coloured Caen limestone. An Anglo-Saxon settlement and two churches were demolished to make room for the buildings. The cathedral was completed in 1145 with the Norman tower still seen today topped with a wooden spire covered with lead. Several episodes of damage necessitated rebuilding of the east end and spire but since the final erection of the stone spire in 1480 there have been few fundamental alterations to the fabric.
The large cloister has over 1,000 bosses including several hundred which are carved and ornately painted.
Norwich Cathedral has the second largest cloisters in England, only exceeded by those at Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral close is one of the largest in England and one of the largest in Europe and has more people living within it than any other close. The cathedral spire, measuring at 315 ft (96 m), is the second-tallest in England despite being partly rebuilt after being struck by lightning in 1169, just 23 months after its completion, which led to the building being set on fire. Measuring 461 ft (141 m) long and, with the transepts, 177 ft (54 m) wide at completion, Norwich Cathedral was the largest building in East Anglia.
A large two-storey cloister, the only such in England, with nearly 400 carved stone ceiling bosses was begun in 1297 and finally finished in 1430 after the Black Death had plagued the city. The system of building remained the same over this long period, though the details, in particular the tracery of the openings facing the cloister garth, did change.
On the ground is the Jubilee Labyrinth which was laid in the Cloister Garth to commemorate in Norfolk the celebration in 2002 of the Golden Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen has travelled very widely during the years of her reign. A labyrinth speaks of journeying, and also has at its heart the Christian idea of a spiritual journey. There is only one path with all its twists and turns, which speaks of the journey of our days. It is possible to walk the Labyrinth as a spiritual journey. On the way to the centre the pilgrim walks the way of the world, asking God's forgiveness for wrongdoing and seeking to make amends.
On reaching the centre, there comes a moment for the pilgrim of opening up to the grace and love of God before returning along the path, seeking to follow in the way of Jesus Christ. This seem most appropriate for the Queen who in her Christmas Message at the Millennium, used these words:
"For me, the teachings of Christ and my personal accountability before God provide a frame work in which I try to live my life".
In addition to this idea of the journey, the labyrinth can be a place of interest and pleasure for children and adults alike. The cost was raised by donations from the people of Norfolk.
Norwich Cathedral Quadrangle
Norwich Cathedral is an English cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites.
The cathedral was begun in 1096 and constructed out of flint and mortar and faced with a cream-coloured Caen limestone. An Anglo-Saxon settlement and two churches were demolished to make room for the buildings. The cathedral was completed in 1145 with the Norman tower still seen today topped with a wooden spire covered with lead. Several episodes of damage necessitated rebuilding of the east end and spire but since the final erection of the stone spire in 1480 there have been few fundamental alterations to the fabric.
The large cloister has over 1,000 bosses including several hundred which are carved and ornately painted.
Norwich Cathedral has the second largest cloisters in England, only exceeded by those at Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral close is one of the largest in England and one of the largest in Europe and has more people living within it than any other close. The cathedral spire, measuring at 315 ft (96 m), is the second-tallest in England despite being partly rebuilt after being struck by lightning in 1169, just 23 months after its completion, which led to the building being set on fire. Measuring 461 ft (141 m) long and, with the transepts, 177 ft (54 m) wide at completion, Norwich Cathedral was the largest building in East Anglia.
A large two-storey cloister, the only such in England, with nearly 400 carved stone ceiling bosses was begun in 1297 and finally finished in 1430 after the Black Death had plagued the city. The system of building remained the same over this long period, though the details, in particular the tracery of the openings facing the cloister garth, did change.
On the ground is the Jubilee Labyrinth which was laid in the Cloister Garth to commemorate in Norfolk the celebration in 2002 of the Golden Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen has travelled very widely during the years of her reign. A labyrinth speaks of journeying, and also has at its heart the Christian idea of a spiritual journey. There is only one path with all its twists and turns, which speaks of the journey of our days. It is possible to walk the Labyrinth as a spiritual journey. On the way to the centre the pilgrim walks the way of the world, asking God's forgiveness for wrongdoing and seeking to make amends.
On reaching the centre, there comes a moment for the pilgrim of opening up to the grace and love of God before returning along the path, seeking to follow in the way of Jesus Christ. This seem most appropriate for the Queen who in her Christmas Message at the Millennium, used these words:
"For me, the teachings of Christ and my personal accountability before God provide a frame work in which I try to live my life".
In addition to this idea of the journey, the labyrinth can be a place of interest and pleasure for children and adults alike. The cost was raised by donations from the people of Norfolk.