Thankful my friend Nick for inspiration to visit this extraordinary place with a story you can't ignore Coventry Cathedral
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God”.
The building that we now know fondly as The Old Cathedral
was formerly the parish church of St. Michael. The present structure
largely originates from the 1300s to 1400s, with additional chapels
added on in the 1500s, but originally a smaller chapel of Norman design
stood on the site. St. Michael's was first mentioned in 1138 during the
reign of King Stephen, and was referred to in one record as "the church
of St. Michael's in the Bailey", which gives us some idea of its origin
within the grounds of Coventry Castle.
After Coventry Cathedral was gutted by incendiary bombs during World War
II, a conscious and collective decision was taken to build a new
cathedral and to preserve the ruins as a constant reminder of conflict,
the need for reconciliation, and the enduring search for peace. First
constructed as a chapel for the Earl of Chester’s castle in the twelfth
century, the former Cathedral Church of St. Michael was significantly
expanded during a time of prosperity in the late fourteenth century and
eventually became the largest parish church in England. It was elevated
to the status of cathedral in 1918. The vast Benedictine Priory of St.
Mary also previously existed near the site, having been founded by Earl
Leofric and Lady Godiva in 1043 and dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539
during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Today, the excavated remains
of the priory and the post-war cathedral coexist alongside the ruins of
St. Michael, linking past to present. The ruins are still consecrated
and used as a gathering place and site of reflection, and the weathered
medieval sandstone of the tower, apse, and outer walls frame the open
air space.
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