DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERIOR
If the exterior of Durham is in any way disappointing, the interior more
than compensates for its shortcomings. The general impression on
entering the church is one of simple dignity and solemnity. The great
massiveness of the structure and absence of elaborate ornament no doubt
contribute to this feeling. The pious builders of old have certainly
contrived to stamp on their work their own feeling of awe in the
presence of the All-Powerful and Eternal God. Whatever has been lost
through vandalism and the restorer, this remains unaltered. The general
design of the church, exclusive of detail, which, of course, changed and
developed with the progress of Gothic art, has undoubtedly been carried
out on the plan intended by Bishop Carileph, the only important
variation being the addition of the transept at the east end, known as
the Nine Altars Chapel. The original plan consists of a nave and aisles,
transepts with aisles on their eastern side, a choir also with aisles,
and the three apses of the east end, with a central tower over the
junction of transepts, nave, and choir, and towers flanking the west
end.
[Illustration: One Bay Of The Nave (Measured Drawing).]
Each bay of the #Nave# is divided into two sub-bays. The main bays
have massive piers with engaged shafts on the recessed faces. The bases
of these are cruciform in plan, though the arms of the cross are very
short. At the height of the springing of the arch the shafts are
surmounted by plain cushion capitals. The division into sub-bays is
effected by the introduction midway of a massive round column on a
square base. These columns are ornamented in various ways, by channels
cut on the face. Some take the form of a zig-zag, some a spiral, others
a spiral in two directions, forming a trellis-like pattern, and others
again are reeded vertically. Their capitals are octagonal cushions. The
arches of the sub-bays are recessed square, with the usual Norman roll
moulding, decorated with chevrons, and on the wall face a square billet.
The chevron ornament is absent in the earlier work in the choir and
transepts. The triforium is almost uniform throughout the whole church.
In each sub-bay it consists of two small arches under one larger one,
with the tympanum solid. Here also the capitals are cushions and
perfectly plain.
[Illustration: Triforium and Clerestory.]
Above the triforium is the clerestory, which contains one light to each
sub-bay, and surmounting all is the vaulting, which springs from the
piers and from grotesquely carved corbels between the triforium arches.
The vaulting ribs are ornamented with chevrons on either side of a bold
semi-circular moulding. So much for the general arrangement of the bays.
Some idea of the massiveness of the structures may be gathered when it
is known that each group of the clustered pillars separating the bays
covers an area of two hundred and twenty-five square feet at its base,
while those of the cylindrical columns of the sub-bays are twelve feet
square, and the columns themselves have a circumference of over
twenty-three feet. There is little room to doubt that the effect
obtained by the old builders of Durham was intentional. The masterly way
in which great masses of solid masonry, greater than was constructively
necessary, are handled, and the reticence and delicacy of the ornament
combine to prove this. There is in the whole scheme a delightful union
of great power and vigour in the masses, and of tenderness and loving
care in the detail.
The #Choir# is the earliest part of the church. Its two western bays
show Carileph's work, but the eastern piers have been considerably
altered owing to the addition at a later period of the eastern transept,
when Carileph's apses were taken down. This bay contains some very rich
and beautiful detail. The piers on either side of the choir are
decorated with arcades, the lower stage having six arches, and the upper
three, all richly carved with foliage in the caps and hood moulds, and
with heads and half figures. There is also a square aumbry on each pier.
Above the upper arcade, which breaks through the level of the triforium
string course, which is also carried round it, there is on each pier a
figure of an angel beneath a canopy. These are the only two figures
remaining of many which formerly added to the beauty of the interior of
the church. The vaulting of the choir is thirteenth-century work,
quadripartite, the ribs decorated with dog-tooth ornament and square
leaves, and has fine bosses at the intersections of the diagonal ribs.
The choir of Durham is especially interesting to the student of
architecture, showing as it does the Early Norman work of Carileph,
combined with the Early English and Early Decorated work of the newer
eastern portion.
On the south side of the choir stands the monument of Bishop Hatfield,
who directed the see of Durham from 1345 until 1381. This monument is
beneath the Episcopal Throne, which was erected by Bishop Hatfield
himself. It consists of an altar tomb surmounted by a recumbent effigy
of the bishop, in richly-worked robes, beneath a canopy, richly groined,
with foliated bosses at the intersections of the ribs. On the walls at
the east and west ends may still be seen the remains of fresco painting,
representing in each case two angels. Beneath the staircase leading up
to the throne is a very fine decorated arcade, containing several
shields bearing the bishop's and other arms. The whole structure was
originally richly coloured and gilded, and remains of this work can
still be made out. It is a noble specimen of the work of its date.
Immediately opposite the tomb of Bishop Hatfield, on the north side of
the choir, the visitor will notice the recently-erected memorial to the
late Bishop Lightfoot. This is an altar tomb of black and coloured
marble. The sides are ornamented with panels of Perpendicular tracery
containing shields. Round the upper mouldings runs a Latin inscription
in brass. The whole is surmounted by a recumbent figure of the bishop in
white marble, his hands on his breast, and his feet resting against
three books. Originally designed by Sir Edgar Boehm, R.A., at his death
the monument was completed by Alfred Gilbert, R.A.
The beautiful altar screen is usually known as the #Neville Screen,#
and was erected about the year 1380, mainly from moneys supplied by
John, Lord Neville of Raby. It spans the whole of the choir, and is
continued along the sides of the sacrarium, forming sedilia of four
seats on either side. It is pierced by two doors, which lead to the
shrine of S. Cuthbert, immediately behind the screen. Though very light
and graceful in appearance, the screen, as it is at present, can give
the beholder little idea of what its appearance must have been when
each of its canopied niches contained a figure aglow with gold and
colour. There were originally 107 of these statues, the centre one
representing Our Lady, supported on either side by S. Cuthbert and S.
Oswald. Unfortunately none of the figures remain _in situ_.
Immediately in front of the steps of the high altar will be seen the
matrix of a large brass. It covers the grave of Ludovick de Bellomonte,
Bishop of Durham from 1318 to 1333. The slab, which is in two pieces,
measures fifteen feet ten inches by nine feet seven inches, and an
examination will show the brass to have been an elaborate and sumptuous
composition. Unfortunately all the metal work has disappeared.
The #Stalls,# as they originally existed, were destroyed in 1650 by
the Scottish prisoners, who were kept in the cathedral after the battle
of Dunbar. The present stalls we owe to Bishop Cosin (1660 to 1672), and
they are remarkable pieces of carving for that date. In general
character they imitate Perpendicular work, though the details do not
adhere altogether to that style.
Before leaving this part of the church a note may be devoted to the
alterations and additions made during the years 1870 to 1876. A new
screen between the nave and choir was then erected; the choir floor
relaid with marble mosaic; the stalls replaced in their old positions,
and new portions made to replace those destroyed in 1846. A new organ,
pulpit, and lectern were also added.
The new #Choir Screen# is very much open to criticism. Though no
doubt beautiful in detail, and of excellent workmanship, its effect, as
a whole, is not pleasant, when seen from the west end silhouetted
against the light of the choir. A screen previously existed in this
position erected by Bishop Cosin. This was removed in 1846, with the
idea of improving the appearance of the church from the west end by
obtaining a "vista" through to the Neville screen and rose window of the
eastern transept. The effect seems, however, to have been disappointing,
hence the erection of the present screen, which may or may not have
improved matters. In the two western piers of the choir holes may be
seen cut in the stonework. These received the rood-beam from which,
during Lent, the Lenten curtain was suspended.
[Illustration: The Choir, looking West.]
The #North Aisle of the Choir,# again, shows the joining and
harmonising of the "new work" of the eastern transept with the earlier
Norman work. Inside the church the most easterly bay appears to be
altogether of Early English date; but on the exterior it will be seen
that the Norman wall runs right up to the western wall of the eastern
transept. The interior of the bay, however, is enriched with a wall
arcade similar to that in the Nine Altars Chapel, and the arch and vault
are decorated with foliage and dog-tooth ornament.
Along the side wall of this aisle runs a stone bench bearing the arms of
Bishop Walter de Skirlaw (1388 to 1405), near which he was buried, but
his monument and brass, erected by himself, have disappeared.
Slightly westward of the bench is a doorway which at one time opened
into the Sacrist's Exchequer, erected by Prior Wessington, but it has
long ago been destroyed.
The piers of the west end of this aisle bear marks which were originally
holes cut in the stone. These served to support a porch, having a rood
and altar, which is thus described in the "Rites of Durham":
"Right over the Entrance of this North Alleye, going to the Songe
Scoole (the Exchequer mentioned above) there was a porch adjoyninge
to the quire on the South, and S. Benedick's altar on the North, the
porch having in it an altar, and the roode or picture of our
Saviour, which altar and roode was much frequented in devotion by
Docteur Swalwell, sometime monk of Durham, the said roode havinge
marveilous sumptuous furniture for festivall dayes belonginge to
it."
The #South Aisle Of the Choir# is similar architecturally to the
north aisle. Here may be seen a doorway, of late thirteenth-century
work, which originally led to the revestry, now destroyed.
Here again the eastern piers bear marks left by holes in the stonework,
which originally earned the supports of a screen, in front of which the
Black Rood of Scotland, which was taken from King David at the battle of
Neville's Cross (1346), was placed. The rood is described as having been
brought from Holyrood by David Bruce, and was made of silver, with
effigies of our Saviour, S. John, and Our Lady, having crowns of gold on
their heads. The Black Rood was restored to its original possessors at
the close of the war.
The windows of both the choir aisles originally contained very fine old
stained glass, representing various saints, and scenes in the life of S.
Cuthbert.
The #Transepts.#--Leaving the choir by its western end the visitor at
once enters the transepts. A large portion of these, including the great
piers and arches which carry the central tower, are, without doubt, of
the time of Carileph. The eastern side of both is certainly his work,
while the western is probably the building which was carried on by the
monks in the interval between Carileph's death, in 1096, and the
appointment of Flambard to the see in 1099. The work on the eastern
sides differs little from that of the choir, while that of the western
sides, being plainer, has been thought by some to indicate a want of
means on the part of the monks, while carrying on the work in the
interval just alluded to. Each transept consists of two bays, with an
aisle on the eastern side, access to which is gained by the ascent of
three steps.
Each of the three sub-bays nearest the north and south extremities
originally contained an altar, those in the north transept being
dedicated to S. Nicholas and S. Giles, S. Gregory and S. Benedict. Over
the site of the latter may still be seen remains of fresco painting. The
altars in the south transept were dedicated--one to S. Faith and S.
Thomas the Apostle, one to our Lady of Bolton and the other to our Lady
of Houghall. The north transept is closed by a large window, which is
the work of Prior Fossor, probably about the year 1362. The window is of
six lights, and the head contains late geometrical tracery. The
architectural feature of this window, especially for its date, is the
transom which crosses the mullions, and which is not visible from the
exterior. Below the transom is a second inner set of mullions supporting
a small gallery, by means of which access may be had to the triforium.
In the year 1512 the window was repaired by Prior Castell, who filled it
with stained glass containing large figures, among others of S.
Augustine, S. Ambrose, S. Gregory, and S. Jerome. From this circumstance
the window became known as the window of the Four Doctors of the Church.
Prior Castell also contrived to introduce a figure of himself kneeling
at the feet of the Virgin. The large window at the end of the south
transept, also named from the glass it contained, the _Te Deum_ window,
is in the Perpendicular style, and is of six lights. It may possibly
have been the work of Prior Wessington, 1416 to 1446. Along the sill of
this window also access may be had to the triforium.
[Illustration: The Transepts, looking North.]
Both the north-west and south-west corners of the transepts contain
stairways, opening at their various levels on to the triforium,
clerestory, and the space between the vaulting and the roof. That in the
south transept also gives access to the central tower and belfry, an
ascent of which, if the day be clear, will repay the visitor for his
fatiguing climb of three hundred and forty steps by the magnificent view
spread at his feet. The transepts were no doubt the earliest part of the
building to be vaulted; that of the northern arm being plain is probably
the earlier, while that of the south arm, though of similar character,
has zig-zag ornaments. Several of the priors of Durham were buried in
the transepts, the first, Prior Fossor, 1364, and the last, Robert
Ebchester, who died in 1484.
On the piers of the transepts projecting brackets may be noticed. These
are of Perpendicular date, and originally carried statues.
The crossing, or space between the four piers supporting the central
tower, gives us a fine view of the interior of the lantern.
The #Tower# is carried on four large clustered Norman piers with
semi-circular arches. Over the arches, and seventy-seven feet above the
floor of the church, is the lower stage of the lantern, round which is a
gallery with an open pierced parapet. It rests on corbels, each
alternate one being carved with a grotesque head. The walls are panelled
up to the base of the great windows,--each panel having two cinquefoiled
arches under a crocketed canopy and final; while between them are small
buttresses, also panelled, and ending in a finial which reaches the same
height as the canopy. Over the panelling is a string course ornamented
with that characteristic ornament of the Perpendicular period, the Tudor
flower, and above this on each face two tall windows near together. Each
window has two lights, and is divided by a transom. The roof of the
lantern is groined, with fine bosses at the intersections of the ribs.
The whole seen from below has a very fine effect, and must be very
different in appearance from the original Norman structure. The whole of
the lantern was refaced, and the statues which had been removed from
their niches were replaced, some thirty years ago, by the Dean and
Chapter of Durham.
[Illustration: Corbel in Choir.]
The #Norman East End.#--The original form of the Norman east end has
long been the subject of discussion and conjecture. It was practically
safe to assume that the choir ended in an apse, though whether the
aisles were also apsidal, or continued round a great apse as an
ambulatory, was a debatable point. This question has now been finally
settled.
[Illustration: The Choir, looking East.] During some operations
necessitating the opening of the floor, in January 1895, certain
indications were found which led the diocesan architect, Mr C.H. Fowler,
and Canon Greenwell to continue the excavation. The result was the
discovery that Carileph's church certainly possessed three apses--a
large one terminating the choir, and smaller ones the aisles. The apses
of the aisles were square externally, and apsidal internally. The great
apse consisted of five bays, one on either side next to the choir,
forming an oblong between the choir and the springing line of the curve
of the apse, over which would be the great sanctuary arch. The
remainder, or apse proper, was divided into three bays by engaged
clustered shafts, similar to those of the choir and nave. It was
surrounded by a wall arcade of the same character as that of the rest of
the church. The base of one of the shafts of the arcade was found in
position. An extremely interesting point in this discovery is the fact
that the levels are the same as those of the nave and choir. The
foundations are on the rock at the same depth, and the aisle walls and
apse walls are in the same line. The external square line of the aisle
apses is in line with the springing of the choir apse. The foundations
of the apse to the north aisle have been thoroughly excavated, and there
is every reason to believe that that on the south side of the church
entirely corresponds. The width of the north aisle apse from north to
south is nine feet eight inches. There can be little doubt, judging from
the remainder of Carileph's work, that all three apses were covered with
stone vaults, though of precisely what character can only be a matter of
conjecture. The cracking, previously spoken of, which led to this part
of the church being taken down and the new eastern transept being
erected, cannot have arisen from any subsidence of the foundations. It,
in all probability, was the result of the thrust of the apse vaults on
to walls which were insufficiently buttressed. The marks on some of the
stones found during this excavation, and the shape of others, seem to
point to the conclusion that here we have the earliest part of the
church, and that Carileph used up in his foundations much of the stone
of Aldhun's White Church.
Of the two usual eastern endings to Norman churches--viz. those with
three apses, and those having the aisle carried round as an
ambulatory--the latter is far more common in England, and the former on
the Continent. There are two other notable instances of the three
apsidal arrangement in England: S. Albans, 1077, which is earlier than
Durham; and Peterboro', 1117, which is later than, and was probably
modelled on, Durham. There are many examples of ambulatories--the White
Tower Church (London), Winchester, Gloucester, Worcester, and Norwich
being among them.
[Illustration: Corbel in Choir.]
The apses of Durham are of considerable depth from east to west, the
oblong bay previously mentioned, which is fourteen feet wide in that
direction, adding greatly to this effect. The width of the foundations
is fourteen feet, and the width of the wall has been seven feet. The
diameter of the choir apse from north to south was about thirty-two
feet.
[Illustration: Plan of Norman East End.]
These discoveries are specially interesting, completing as they do the
whole chain, and leading us with very little imagination to see in its
original condition what must have been, and may even now claim to be,
the most noble example of Norman architecture in our country.
[Illustration: Triforium of Nave and Choir.]
[Illustration: Capital in the Nine Altars Chapel.]
The #Nine Altars Chapel.#--Leaving the consideration of what once
occupied the site of the east end of Durham, we will turn our attention
to the beautiful erection which now stands there, the eastern transept,
or, as it is named from the altars of the saints it once contained
beneath its windows, the Chapel of the Nine Altars. It is approached
from the aisles by steps, the floor level being lower than that of the
church proper. It is altogether a remarkable and interesting structure.
With its lightness and loftiness contrasting grandly with the massive
Norman nave and choir, its clustered columns of polished marble
alternating with stone, its fine bold sculpture, its splendid vaulted
roof and rich arcading, it forms a perfect example of the Early English
style. Though regular and symmetrical in general design, the detail
shows great variety, and even irregularity, a quality so often present
in old work, and so much to its advantage. In general character it may
be compared with that at Fountains Abbey, which was built during the
same time.
[Illustration: Capital in the Nine Altars Chapel.]
The circumstances leading to its erection have been already referred to.
The Norman apses having been partly removed, owing to their dangerous
condition, the "New Work," as it was always called, was commenced in the
year 1242. The eastern wall, with its rose and nine lancet windows, is
the earliest part of the chapel, the north and south walls being later.
The joining and blending of the work with the Norman of Carileph's choir
had evidently been accomplished when the chapel was almost completed.
The eastern wall is of three bays, each bay having three lofty lancet
windows. The bays are not of equal width, the centre one being regulated
by the width of the nave of the church, and narrower than the north and
south bays.
[Illustration: Sections of Hood and Arch Mouldings.]
A very beautiful arcade runs completely round the walls. It is of
trefoil arches, deeply and richly moulded, supported on marble columns
carved with foliage. Over the arches is a hood mould terminating with
heads. In the spandrels are a series of deeply-sunk and moulded
quatrefoils, two of which contain sculpture. The bases of the columns
rest on a plinth. Surmounting this arcade is a moulded string, from the
level of which rise the windows, and above the windows another string
course and a second range of windows. In the centre bay, however, is
the large rose window, which is over thirty feet in diameter.
[Illustration: The Nine Altars Chapel.]
The division of the chapel into three bays is effected by two main
vaulting arches, which spring on the western side from the piers of the
east end of the choir, and on the eastern side from responds of
clustered shafts alternately of marble and stone, banded at intervals
and having richly carved capitals. The arches themselves are deeply
moulded and ornamented with dog-tooth ornament and foliage. The vault of
the central bay has eight ribs--two springing from each of the clusters
just described, and two from each of the choir piers. The vaulting of
the remaining bays is quadripartite, but has peculiarities which are
worthy of notice, arising from inequality of width. We must not omit to
call attention to the exquisite sculpture of the vaulting. The centre
has figures of the Four Evangelists, while in the north is a beautifully
executed carving of vine and grapes, and in the south, figure subjects.
Among the sculptured heads on the wall arcade at the south end, at the
western side of the two bays into which the south wall is divided, are
two which are portraits of the men to whom we owe the design and
execution of the beautiful sculpture of this chapel. One is an elderly
man, the other much younger, and both wear linen dust-caps over their
heads.
The nine lancet windows were originally filled with ancient stained
glass, which, as the reader will remember, was removed, Below each
window was an altar. They were dedicated a follows, beginning at the
south end of the chapel:--
1. S. Andrew and S. Mary Magdalene. \
2. S. John the Baptist and S. Margaret. > South bay.
3. S. Thomas of Canterbury and S. Catherine. /
4. S. Oswald and S. Lawrence. \
5. S. Cuthbert and S. Bede. > Middle bay.
6. S. Martin. /
7. S. Peter and S. Paul. \
8. S. Aidan and S. Helen. > North bay.
9. S. Michael the Archangel. /
The rose window over the lancets of the middle bay is Wyatt's
"restoration" of the original one. It consists of an outer circle of
twenty-four and an inner circle of twelve radiating lights, the mullions
of which are received on a foliated circle in the centre.
In the north wall of the chapel is a very fine window, known as the
Joseph window, on account of the stained glass it originally contained,
which illustrated the life-history of Joseph. It is a beautiful example
of Early Decorated or geometrical Gothic, and is of six lights. There is
an inner plane of tracery resting on clustered shafts, which is
connected to the mullions of the window proper by through stones. The
window occupies the complete width of the north end of the chapel. The
painted glass which it once contained is thus described in the "Rites of
Durham":
"In the North Alley of the said Nine Altars, there is another goodly
faire great glass window, called Joseph's Window, the which hath in
it all the whole storye of Joseph, most artificially wrought in
pictures in fine coloured glass, accordinge as it is sett forth in
the Bible, verye good and godly to the beholders thereof."
This window deserves the attention of the architectural student, as it
is an exceedingly fine specimen of the tracery of its date.
The south wall of the chapel contains two windows, each divided by a
central mullion, and having an inner mullion connected by through
stones. They are widely splayed inwards, and separated by a group of
vaulting shafts. One or both of these windows contained stained glass,
with the history of the life and miracles of S. Cuthbert. As seen at
present, they contain tracery of the Perpendicular period, a restoration
of that inserted by Prior Wessington. Each window is of two lights,
crossed by a transom. Entry to the nine altars was provided for, as well
as from the choir and aisles, by two doors on the western side of its
north and south walls. The northern doorway is now walled up. They enter
through the wall arcade. The writer of the "Rites of Durham" says the
north door was made in order to bring in the body of Bishop Anthony Bek,
who is buried in the chapel. The architectural features of the doorway
would, however, seem to contradict this theory, and there is little room
to doubt that both north and south doorways formed part of the original
design of the structure.
Before leaving this interesting portion of the building we must direct
our attention to its most important contents, the #Tomb of S.
Cuthbert#. This, as at present to be seen, is a great oblong
platform, thirty-seven feet long by twenty-three feet wide, and its
upper surface or floor six feet above the floor of the chapel. Beneath a
slab in the centre the bones of the patron saint rest. The shrine of S.
Cuthbert at one time stood upon this platform, but of that no vestige
remains.
The floor of the platform is reached by two doors through the Neville
screen in the choir, and by a small stairway from the south aisle. The
wanderings of the monks of Lindisfarne with the body of their saint,
their many difficulties and trials, and their ultimate settlement at
Dunholme or Durham, have already been described. The shrine was
eventually set up in its present position by Bishop Carileph, in 1104,
when he brought it from the cloister garth from the tomb he had there
set up for its temporary reception, until his church was sufficiently
advanced to permit of its removal thither. It was visited by large
numbers of pilgrims, and many important personages were among them. Of
these may be mentioned William the Conqueror, Henry III. (1255), Edward
II. (1322), and Henry VI. (1448). The shrine was destroyed soon after
the surrender of the monastery to the Crown, in 1540, when the body was
buried beneath the place where its former receptacle had stood. There
have since this time been traditions that the exact place of the burial
was secret, and known only, according to one account, to three
Benedictine monks, who each handed the secret down to a successor. The
other tradition places the knowledge of the place of burial in the hands
of the Roman Catholic bishops of the Northern Province. One of these
traditions was made public in the year 1867, and gave the place of
interment as being under the second and third steps leading to the tower
from the south transept. This place was excavated and examined, but no
trace of any burial could be found there. It is to these traditions
that Scott refers, in _Marmion_, in the following lines:--
Chester-le-Street, and Ripon saw
His holy corpse, ere Wardilaw
Hailed him with joy and fear;
And after many wanderings past,
He chose his lordly seat at last,
Where his cathedral, huge and vast,
Looks down upon the Wear.
There deep in Durham's Gothic shade
His relics are in secret laid;
But none may know the place,
Save of his holiest servants three,
Deep sworn to solemn secrecy,
Who share that wondrous grace.
In May 1827 the grave in the Nine Altars Chapel was opened in the
presence of two of the church dignitaries and other persons. Dr Raine,
who was also present, has left a careful account of the discoveries then
made.[3] The outer coffin, that made in 1542, was first removed,
revealing a second and much decayed coffin and many bones. After the
removal of these relics the lid of a third oak coffin was revealed, in a
very advanced state of decay. This innermost coffin was covered over its
entire surface with carvings of human figures, the heads surrounded by a
nimbus. When this coffin was removed the skeleton was exposed to view,
wrapped in coverings, the outer of which had been of linen. The robes
beneath were much decayed, and only portions of them could be preserved.
On the breast of the body, among the robes, a comb was found, answering
exactly to that described by Reginald in 1104. Among the most
interesting of the finds were a stole and maniple.
[3] Raine. S. Cuthbert.
The stole is of very early date, and is of needlework in colours and
gold. The centre design is a quatrefoil, inside which is a lamb with
nimbus, and the letters AGNV DI. On either side are figures of Old
Testament prophets, with their names. Near the ends the embroidery
occurs on both sides of the stole, on the back of one of which among
foliage is the inscription AELFFLAED FIERI PRECEPIT, which is continued
on the back of the opposite end, thus--PIO EPISCOPO FRIDESTANO. The
translation of this inscription is to the effect that Aelfled commanded
the stole to be made for the pious Bishop Frithestan. The maniple is of
a similar character, and also bears ornament, figures, and
inscriptions.[4] Frithestan was made Bishop of Winchester in 905.
Aelfled, who was Queen of Eadward, the son and successor of Alfred, died
in 916. It was therefore during these ten years that she caused this
stole and maniple to be made for the Bishop Frithestan. It is recorded
that the son and successor of Eadward, by name Athelstan, when on a
journey in the north visited Chester-le-Street and the shrine of S.
Cuthbert, which was then at that place. Among other presents he left as
offerings a stole and maniple, and a girdle and two bracelets of gold.
It is a curious fact that a girdle and two gold bracelets were found
along with the stole and maniple in the grave, in 1827, and leaves very
little doubt that they are the ones mentioned above. The bones of the
saint were quite intact, and none were missing. They were, with the
other relics, placed in a new coffin, and the grave re-covered. Some
portions of the inner coffin, with the stole, two maniples, the girdle
and bracelets and fragments of the robes are now carefully preserved in
the Dean and Chapter Library. A large gold cross found among the robes,
decorated with garnets, and of workmanship of the time of S. Cuthbert is
also preserved in the library. These discoveries seem to speak for
themselves, and to leave very little room for doubt that the body
exhumed and examined in 1827 was really that of the patron saint of the
church.
[4] Photographs, coloured by the late J.I. Williamson, are
exhibited in the South Kensington Museum.
There were also found in the grave bones of infants, supposed to be
relics of the Holy Innocents, and a skull, most probably that of S.
Oswald, which was known to have been placed in the coffin of S.
Cuthbert.
Two smooth grooves may be observed on the platform, which are _said_ to
have been worn into the stone by the knees or feet of generations of
pilgrims visiting the shrine.
There are several other tombs and monuments in this chapel, chiefly wall
tablets of not exceptional interest. At the north end, however, is a
colossal statue of the last of the prince bishops, Bishop van Mildert,
who died in 1836. The monument is of white marble, the figure seated on
a throne and holding a book. It was erected by public subscription, the
sculptor being John Gibson, R.A. Near this monument is a blue slab
covering the remains of Bishop Anthony Bek, patriarch of Jerusalem, who
died in 1310. It was to bring in the body of this bishop that some
writers have thought the north doorway of the Nine Altars Chapel was
constructed. This is, as we have seen already, extremely improbable.
The student of architecture will find very much to interest him in this
Chapel of the Nine Altars. The beautiful sculpture and variety in the
capitals of the shafts of wall arcading, not to mention the rich carving
of the vaulting bosses and capitals of the vaulting shafts, will well
repay his earnest study.
[Illustration: The Galilee Chapel.]
[Illustration: The Galilee Chapel.]
[Illustration: Capital in Galilee Chapel.]
The #Galilee# or #Lady Chapel# is situated at the west end of the
nave. It is well known that for some reason women were not allowed to
enter any church where S. Cuthbert's shrine stood, nor even any church
dedicated to him. At Lindisfarne a separate church was provided for
them, and at Durham the Galilee Chapel was added for the same purpose.
It was alleged that S. Cuthbert himself had made this rule, but there is
no proof that he ever issued such a command. The Venerable Bede makes
no mention of any special feeling of antipathy to women on the part of
the saint. Bede was contemporary with, and survived S. Cuthbert
forty-eight years. Whatever may have been the origin of the practice, it
is certain that in later times women were jealously excluded from the
churches of S. Cuthbert, and to this circumstance we owe, in the chapel
under our consideration, the most beautiful and perfect example of
Transitional Norman architecture existing in England.
[Illustration: Paintings in the Galilee Chapel.]
Let us recall briefly the circumstances attending its erection. Hugh
Pudsey, who occupied the episcopal throne, 1153 to 1195, commenced to
build a Lady Chapel at the east end of the church. The work had not gone
far before accidents happened, and cracks and fissures appeared in the
walls, which the builder thought "gave manifest indication that it was
not acceptable to God and His servant S. Cuthbert."[5] The work was
therefore abandoned, and another chapel was commenced at the west end of
the church, "into which women might lawfully enter, so that they who had
not bodily access to the secret things of the holy place, might have
some solace from the contemplation of them" (Geoffrey de Coldingham).
Pudsey caused to be moved here the marble shafts and bases he had
previously brought from "beyond the sea," and intended to be used in the
construction of his chapel at the east end. Entering the chapel by the
steps leading from the Norman nave, the visitor is at once impressed
with the lightness and delicacy of the work before him, as compared with
the massive grandeur of the Norman cathedral behind. Here we have, in
fact, one of the latest uses of the round arch influenced by the rapidly
developing Early English Gothic. In plan the chapel consists of a nave
with double aisles, which perhaps might be more properly called five
aisles. These are divided by arcades, each of which is of four bays.
These arches and the columns which support them are the chief beauty and
characteristic of the chapel. The arches are semi-circular, of one
order, with three lines of chevron, one on each face, and one on the
soffit between two roll mouldings. The capitals are light and graceful
and carved with a volute, and the columns clusters of marble and
freestone shafts. The arches, however, rest on the marble columns, which
are, no doubt, those previously alluded to. The whole seems to have been
coloured in fresco, and remains of this are still to be seen. The stone
shafts, which alternate with those of marble, do not carry any of the
weight of the arch, and are, undoubtedly, an addition, probably in the
time of Cardinal Langley, when they must have been added, with a view
to improving the appearance. The dimensions of the chapel are
forty-seven feet from east to west, and seventy-six feet from north to
south. The existing roof and the three perpendicular windows on the west
end are also additions by Cardinal Langley. On the walls above what were
once the altars of the Virgin and Our Lady of Pity, remains of fresco
painting may be noticed, all that remains of what has evidently been
beautiful work. These were only brought to light by the removal of
successive coats of whitewash with which they had been covered.
[5] Geoffrey de Coldingham.
[Illustration: Detail of the Galilee Chapel.]
When the Galilee was erected, access from the church was by the great
west door of the cathedral. This was, however, closed up by Cardinal
Langley, who constructed the two doorways at the end of the aisles by
which the chapel is now entered. Those portions of the Norman wall
arcading, which had to be removed by reason of the breaking through of
the new doorways, were used to fill up the lower part of the great west
door. The latter was again removed in 1846, when the west doorway was
re-opened. Langley's two doorways have four centred arches enclosed
beneath a square label moulding, with shields bearing the Cardinal's
coat-of-arms in each spandrel. To Langley also may be attributed the
five massive buttresses on the exterior of the western wall of the
chapel, which partly cover the arcading and panelling with which it was
decorated. In adding the new roof Langley raised the walls above the
arches to carry it, giving a somewhat peculiar effect to the interior.
The original roof lines can still be made out on the west wall. Of the
contents of the chapel remaining, perhaps the most interesting to the
visitor is the grave and site of the shrine of the Venerable Bede. The
shrine, like that of S. Cuthbert's, is gone, and all that remains is the
stone slab on which it once stood, and which bears the inscription
(placed there in 1831):
Hac sunt in Fossa
Baedae Venerabilis Ossa
This remarkable man was contemporary with S. Cuthbert, whom, as we have
said, he survived forty-eight years. His holiness and piety, together
with his great learning, earned for him the title Venerable, and after
his death, in 735, his bones were enshrined. Of his parentage we know
nothing, except that, from his own writings, he was born in the
territory of the Abbey of Wearmouth. At the age of seven he was being
educated in that monastery, and by the time he was ten years old he
moved to the newly-founded Abbey on the Tyne, at Jarrow. He had able and
learned teachers in Benedict Bishop and Ceolfrid, and appears to have
turned his advantages to the best account. Deacon at nineteen, and
priest at twenty-nine years of age, he led a holy and studious life.
After his ordination he wrote his "Commentaries on the Scriptures," and
writings on all the known sciences--geography, arithmetic, and
astronomy. The greatest work of his life is, however, his
"Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation," to which we owe all our
knowledge of the introduction of Christianity into Great Britain, and
the early history of the English Church. It is dedicated to King
Ceolwulf. His information was collected from various sources--by letter
as to Canterbury, by communication with bishops and priors as to England
generally, and from personal knowledge and very recent tradition as to
Northumbria. He lived most of his long life between the monasteries of
Monkwearmouth and Jarrow, and was buried at the latter. In the year 1022
his remains were secretly removed from Jarrow by Elfrid, who was the
most unscrupulous relic-hunter of that time, who deposited a portion of
them in the same coffin with those of S. Cuthbert. From here they were
removed by Bishop Pudsey, and placed in the newly-erected Galilee
Chapel, where he caused them to be enclosed in a magnificent shrine.
"There, in a silver casket gilt with gold, hee laid the bones of
Venerable Bede, and erected a costly and magnificent shrine over it."[6]
When the shrine was destroyed at the suppression of the monastery, in
1542, the bones were interred beneath the place it occupied, where they
remained undisturbed till the year 1831. In that year they were exhumed
and examined, and, after being enclosed in a lead-lined coffin, were
replaced in the tomb, with a parchment giving full details of the
exhumation. Some coins and a ring which were found at this time are
preserved in the Dean and Chapter Library. The inscription previously
quoted was then cut on the upper slab of the tomb.
[6] "Rites of Durham."
In the Galilee Chapel is also the tomb of its restorer, Cardinal
Langley, which was erected by himself in front of the principal altar.
On its head may be seen three shields bearing the arms of the cardinal.
Four of the western windows of the chapel originally contained beautiful
stained glass, a most careful description of which may be found in the
"Rites of Durham."
Why this chapel has always been known as the "Galilee" Chapel has been
the subject of much discussion and conjecture, and is still a matter of
uncertainty. That it was erected for a Lady Chapel there can, however,
be no doubt. In the nave of the church, between the piers immediately to
the west of the north and south doorways, the visitor will notice a
dark-coloured marble cross, beyond which no woman was allowed to pass
eastward.
#Monuments in the Nave and Transepts.#--The church of Durham is not
rich in tombs and monuments to the dead. This is to be accounted for
partly by the fact that for some centuries the Bishops of the diocese
were interred in the chapter-house, and even most of these tombs have
been lost or destroyed. Another reason for the scarcity of monuments is
that no layman was allowed to be buried in the church until 1367, when
Lord Ralph Neville obtained that distinction for himself and his wife,
the Lady Alice de Neville, who was buried in 1374. This monument
occupies the third sub-bay from the east, on the south side of the nave.
It is an altar tomb, and though it has suffered severely from mutilation
during the unsettled times of the Reformation, sufficient remains to
enable us to see that it was once a well-designed and noble monument.
Its mouldings are bold, and there are indications of the places where
figures were once attached to the sides. The recumbent effigies of the
noble lord and his wife, on the top of the tomb, are, however,
hopelessly smashed. It is probable that Lord Ralph Neville obtained this
honour for himself through his services and victory at the Battle of
Neville's Cross, near Durham, in 1346. In the next bay westward is the
tomb of Lord John Neville, who died in 1386. This is also an altar tomb,
and has suffered severely, though it remains in a better state of
preservation than the one just described. Its sides each have six
niches, with elaborately ornamented canopies, and containing figures,
while the ends have three similar niches with figures. The carving of
the canopies is exceedingly beautiful. Between each of the niches are
two square panels with trefoiled heads, each panel bearing a shield with
the arms of Neville and Percy. Both above and below the niches much
delicate carving may be noticed. Surmounting all are the broken effigies
of Lord John and his wife, who was the daughter of Lord Henry Percy, the
well-known Hotspur. All the figures on this tomb, including the
recumbent figures, are headless, but sufficient remains to show that
they were of great excellence. Remains of colouring and gilding can also
be distinguished in places on the monument.
Close to this is the slab and matrix of a brass to Robert Neville, who
was bishop of the diocese from 1438 to 1457. The brass has all been
removed, but the matrix shows a dignified figure of the bishop holding a
crozier and a scroll, while an inscription formerly existed on a plate
at his feet. Bishop Neville was known for his generous qualities, as
well as for his high descent.
In the western wall, on its south side, near to the entrance to the
Galilee, is a mural tablet to a former Prebendary in the cathedral, and
a well-known antiquary, Sir George Wheler, who died in the latter part
of the seventeenth century. On the northern side is a slab to the
memory of Captain R.M. Hunter, who was killed while charging a Sikh
battery at Ferozeshah.
Opposite to the monument of Ralph Neville is a modern altar tomb to a
former headmaster of Durham Grammar School, the Rev. James Britton,
D.D., erected by his pupils. It is surmounted by a reclining figure of
Dr. Britton, in academic robes, reading a book.
In the south transept is a fine monument, by Chantrey, to the memory of
Bishop Barrington, who held the see from 1791 to 1826, dying at the
advanced age of 92 years, beloved by all. He was a great prelate, and
used his immense powers as Prince Palatine with great wisdom. The
kneeling figure, with bowed head, the left hand resting on a book, in an
attitude of deep reverence, is worthy of the name of its sculptor. On
the west wall of the same transept is a tablet to the memory of the
officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of the Durham Light
Infantry who were slain or died during the Crimean War.
Near to this is a recently inserted brass to the memory of the officers
and men of the 2nd Durham Regiment who died in Egypt and the Soudan.
In the north transept we may give some attention to a monument to the
Rev. John Carr, a former headmaster of Durham School. It was erected to
his memory by his pupils. The monument was designed by Rickman, and is
in the style known as Decorated Gothic.
[Illustration: The Font and Cover.]
The #Font# stands at the west end of the nave. It is a comparatively
modern work, covered by a tall wooden canopy which was erected by Bishop
Cosin in 1663. The original Norman font was destroyed by the Scottish
prisoners in 1650, and was replaced by a large marble basin by Bishop
Cosin. This font, in its turn, was removed to Pittington Church, where
it is now in use, its place being filled by the present modern one. It
is designed in the Norman style, and is square, supported on short
columns. The sides are carved with medallions, copied from illuminated
MSS., which represent scenes from the life of S. Cuthbert. The cover
deserves attention as a specimen of the woodwork of the seventeenth
century, exhibiting a curious and characteristic mixture of Classic and
Gothic forms and details.