Gloucester Cathedral

The Gloucester Cathedral was originally the church of an Anglo-Saxon monastery founded by Osric, King of Northumbria, in 681. It became a Benedictine abbey in 1022. The Norman abbots began to build a new monastery church which was consecrated in 1100 and elevated to the status of cathedral by Henry VIII in 1542. However, its appearance has changed over the centuries. In 1242 the wooden roof of the nave was replaced by Early-Gothic stone vaulting, the eastern part was replaced in the 14th century in High-Gothic style, the crossing tower in the middle and the Lady Chapel were added at the end of the 15th century in Late-Gothic style and the west facade was altered. In contrast to the uniform Gothic exterior of the cathedral the interior of the nave with its massive cylindrical pillars and huge rounded arches up to the vaulting is in Anglo-Norman style. Only beyond the crossing tower are the Gothic filigree architectural forms featured, the south transept is regarded as the forerunner of English Perpendicular style, while the choir with its elaborate vaulting is an example of the later stages of this style. The stained glass of the east window dates from the 14th century and depicts the coronation of the Virgin. In the choir are numerous important tombs: centrally located is the tomb of Robert of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror, with a reclining figure of the deceased carved in oak (early 13th century); on the north wall the tomb of the Northumbrian king Osric (d. 729) and the alabaster tomb (1330) with a sculpture of a reclining Edward II, who was murdered after his abdication in 1427 by his wife and her lover in Berkeley Castle and was buried in the abbey church at the instigation of his son Edward III. During the Middle Ages the pilgrimages to the tomb of this martyred king were a profitable source of income. The adjoining Lady Chapel, built between 1470-1483, is in Perpendicular style whereas the impressive Norman crypt displays Romanesque features.