Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter. The present building was complete by about 1400 and has several notable features, including an early set of misericords, an astronomical clock and the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world.
The site where Exeter Cathedral was constructed was home to Roman buildings. A legionary fortress was constructed between 50 & 75 AD and a Roman bathhouse was discovered in 1971. The founding of the cathedral at Exeter, dedicated to Saint Peter, dates from 1050.
A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat) is a small wooden structure or sculpture formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a partially standing position during long periods of prayer. Despite being located in churches, it was not considered appropriate for these sculptures to portray religious motifs, as people rested their buttocks against them. As such, misericords portrayed a wide range of subjects from secular life and folklore unrelated to the Bible.
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter. The present building was complete by about 1400 and has several notable features, including an early set of misericords, an astronomical clock and the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world.
The site where Exeter Cathedral was constructed was home to Roman buildings. A legionary fortress was constructed between 50 & 75 AD and a Roman bathhouse was discovered in 1971. The founding of the cathedral at Exeter, dedicated to Saint Peter, dates from 1050.
A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat) is a small wooden structure or sculpture formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a partially standing position during long periods of prayer. Despite being located in churches, it was not considered appropriate for these sculptures to portray religious motifs, as people rested their buttocks against them. As such, misericords portrayed a wide range of subjects from secular life and folklore unrelated to the Bible.