Peterborough Cathedral, a Gothic marvel

Peterborough Cathedral is considered among the most beautiful cathedrals in England, it will surely impress you starting with the magnificent Gothic facade. Architecturally it is considered a unique and never repeated example of English Gothic.

Peterborough Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew is a cathedral of the Church of England, seat of the Bishop of Peterborough. The cathedral is the third cathedral to be built on this site. The first cathedral was founded in 655, with the second successive building in 793 The cathedral has a long and complicated history. It is also one of the few English cathedrals to have been designed since its construction.

The cathedral is built in the Norman style with a cruciform shape. It consists of a nave and a presbytery, side chapels and a tower at the western end. The tower is in two phases, the lower one is square and the upper one octagonal.

The cathedral dates back to 1118, as expected it took years to complete.

Peterborough Cathedral ceiling

The painted wooden ceiling, even this almost unique in fact there are only 4 similar ones in the world, was completed in 1250 It has a very interesting and complex style, with many details. The cathedral ceiling is known for its vaulted wooden roof, originally built by Anglo-Norman masons in the 1100 and renewed in 1800 The roof consists of two semicircular domes, with an octagonal lantern among them. The structure is supported by a central pillar with eight stone pillars on each side. The ceiling is finely decorated with carved oak panels, painted and gilded plaster and stained glass windows.

The ceiling is divided into two parts: the upper part shows scenes from the Old Testament and the lower part shows scenes from the New Testament. The series of paintings at the bottom of the ceiling are painted in a grisaille style, while those at the top of the ceiling are painted in a more colorful style. The ceiling is decorated with a series of paintings depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments.

The Peterborough Cathedral ceiling, completed in 1879 followed the original style it had the triangles in three overlapping layers, but the ending version consists of only two layers. The Peterborough Cathedral ceiling was created by British architect George Frederick Bodley. The project is based on a similar one for the windows of the nave, which he had seen in a cathedral in France.

The ceiling certainly helps an attempt that sense of lightness you find inside of the cathedral, which manages to be majestic and humble in one fell swoop.

The Cathedral Towers

The main tower of the Peterborough Cathedral was completed in 1350 – 1380 and is in a Gothic style with traces of Romanesque and was rebuilt piece by piece in the 1800 The tower is a Norman project. The tower of the cathedral is a landmark for the city and a popular tourist destination.

The tower is built mainly of limestone, with some brick and ashlar in the bathroom. It has a square plan with a protruding entrance veranda and is surmounted by an octagonal spire with weather vane. The tower is the tallest in the city and, a 64 meters high, it is one of the tallest of British cathedrals.

The tomb of Catherine of Aragon

The cathedral is also known as a resting place of Catherine of Aragon, who lived since 1350 to the 1536 and was the first wife of Henry VIII, King of England. Catherine of Aragon was buried in Peterborough Cathedral on November 2 1380

You cannot lose it, many still leave us the flowers even though it has been dead for centuries. For a time, even Maria Stuarda was buried here. Later her son who became King James I moved her to Westminster Abbey.

One peace Peterborough Cathedral housed the relics of several saints including St Thomas Becket. Disadvantage the dissolution of the monasteries of Henry VIII all these relics were destroyed or were lost.

The cathedral is asymmetrical, in fact one of the two towers located just behind the great facade never completed. The asymmetry is only noticeable for a certain distance.

How to get to Peterborough Cathedral

You can much enter the Peterborough Cathedral visit on a day trip from London. It is about an hour by train and about 2 hours by bus on the National Express which often offers very discounted prices.

Peterborough Cathedral is located on the south bank of the River Nene. It is within walking distance of the train station. The cathedral is open to visitors and has a café and keepsake shop.

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