Note: I originally wrote this post in 2017 for my old blog. I have edited and updated it for posting here.
Durham is a city in northern England famous for its massive Norman cathedral. Constructed between 1093 and 1133, the cathedral has been the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham since its completion. This particular bishop seat is the fourth most important in the Church of England hierarchy, and during coronations the Bishop of Durham stands at the right hand of the king or queen. The cathedral houses the Shrine of St. Cuthbert, as well as the remains of the Venerable Bede and the head of St. Oswald of Northumbria. The library within the cathedral also contains an extensive collection of early printed books, including three original copies of the Magna Carta.
Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle located across the square are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle was built in the 11th century and was originally the bishop’s place of residence, but since 1840 it has been owned by Durham University and is now home to more than 100 students.
The city of Durham has its roots in 995 when a group of monks from Lindisfarne, an island off the coast of Britain just south of the present border with Scotland, chose these lands as the final resting place of St. Cuthbert. According to local legend, divine intervention caused the monks to choose the site of present-day Durham Cathedral. When the monks were wandering north, St. Cuthbert’s bier stopped and would not move. The monks fasted for three days and prayed to the saint, and eventually St. Cuthbert appeared to one of the monks and declared his remains should be taken to Dun Holm. After this his bier was able to move, but the monks did not know where Dun Holm was. Later that day, the monks came upon a milkmaid who said she was going to Dun Holm to look for her lost cow, which she had last seen there. The monks followed her to Dun Holm, believing it was a sign from the saint, and settled on the hill where the cathedral stands today. This legend is portrayed by a stone carving on the cathedral’s south face.
Besides the cathedral and castle, Durham has a historic old town area with cozy shops and cobblestone streets. The cathedral, castle, and old town look out onto the River Wear from a small peninsula. On my day trip to Durham from Edinburgh where I was living at the time, I didn’t find many other things to do besides visit the castle and cathedral, but the magnificence of the cathedral alone made it worth the visit. The city is also pleasant to walk through and seems like it would be a nice place to live or study.
