Ely is a small town (pop. 12,000) in a remote place in the middle of the fens, so one immediately wonders why there is such a large, ornate Cathedral there. Turns out the Cathedral came first.
Ely was the site of a monastery founded by St. Etheldreda in 672. This monastery operated modestly until 870 when it was destroyed by Vikings.
After nearly 100 years, Benedictines took up the place, and by the year 1000 Ely was a flourishing market town with a powerful abbey. The Cathedral was started in 1080 by the Abbot Simeon, and work continued for three centuries.
Work began at the east end with the choir (the east end is the very right of the first photo at the top of this post). The above photo was taken, facing east, from within the octagonal tower toward the center of the cathedral (the nave is behind me). The tower construction began in 1322 when the old tower collapsed.
The upper part of the octagon is called "the lantern." Each corner of the lantern's octagon, on the interior, is a single 60-foot beam constructed from a single English oak tree, and the fan moulding beneath is made of Baltic pine. The lantern also contains copious amounts of lead and glass and weighs two hundred tons. It is supported by a "hammerbeam," a device apparently invented here and used in countless medieval churches elsewhere.The Cathedral continues westward to the nave (I'm facing toward the choir in the above photo, with the nave behind me), and the nave itself ends at the second, taller tower.
Though construction of the nave likely took 60 or 70 years, it is remarkably consistent. We heard that the artist who painted the ceiling died halfway through, from licking his fingers which were coated with lead paint. We tried to figure out where the apprentice started work after the master died, but it wasn't obvious.The entire cathedral is incredibly ornate, down to the minutest detail. Here is a bit of carving from the altar at the east end of the church, in the choir:
The shrine of St. Etheldreda (near the statue shown earlier) is in the area behind the altar. There are lots of ornate tombs of past bishops throughout the choir area (in the mid-1500's, during the Reformation, the monastery was taken over by the crown and made King's New College, and the Cathedral was assumed by the Church of England, as it remains today).
Ely was also home to Oliver Cromwell and his family for a time.A beautiful place, and a fun trip.
1 comment:
Mike and Kim:
This was a most interesting description of the cathedral. As I read it, I thought of a book I had recently read (Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett). Your description of the history of the construction of the cathedral could almost have served as a synopsis of the book. I don't know how much time you have for pleasure reading (although perhaps Kim might have some from time to time, based on your recent post), but I highly recommend the book. There is a sequel which I will probably read sometime next year. Thanks again for the blog. It's fun to read.
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