OXFORD : Christ Church Cathedral : Pilgrimage Guide

OXFORD DIOCESE PILGRIM PROJECT

christ church cathedral

Christ Church, the mother church of the Diocese of Oxford, is one of the smallest but most beautiful of English cathedrals. Built in the 12th century on the site of a medieval monastery, it is unique in that it is both a cathedral and a college chapel.

Nave – the first thing you will notice upon entering

destroy the monasteries, and the precious casket

the cathedral is that the choir stalls are in the Nave

was taken by Henry VIII. The relics of St. Frideswide

rather than the Chancel. This is because in the

are now buried somewhere under the cathedral.

mid-nineteenth century, when the college almost doubled from its original numbers, the organ was

The Burne-Jones Window, also in the Latin

removed to accommodate all the students in the

Chapel, tells the story of St Frideswide, which can

main body of the cathedral. When the organ moved

be followed in the window and is displayed on a

to the far end of the nave, the choir followed. Christ

board in the Chapel. Give thanks for the life and

Church has an all-male choir, which performs

devotion of St Frideswide and the saints who have

internationally as well as for Evensong and other

gone before us.

services throughout the year. Give thanks for the gift of music and the talents and service of church

The Bell Chapel and Window are in memory of

musicians.

Bishop George Bell, a former member of Christ Church, who was Bishop of Chichester in World War

The Shrine of St Frideswide is in the Latin Chapel.

II and who spoke out against the indiscriminate

Only the base remains, but it is on the site of the

bombing of German cities. The chapel is a focus for

original shrine, where the casket of St. Frideswide’s

prayers of peace and reconciliation. Pray for those

relics were kept for pilgrims to visit. The shrine

whose lives are blighted by war today.

was smashed in 1538 under Henry VIII’s orders to

The Cathedra – the Bishop’s seat – is situated in

the High Sanctuary, and is the furnishing which

The Cloister is a remaining part of the medieval

gives the cathedral its name, from the Greek word

monastery and the location of the Chapter House

for ‘throne’.

shop and Old Priory and Refectory (now a student accommodation block). Originally the cloister

The Becket Window in the South Transept, dating

would have had four sides. The architecture on the

to 1320, commemorates Archbishop Thomas à

ceiling and walls is well worth a look.

Becket, who opposed his King and died as a martyr.

The window was preserved through Henry VIII’s

No visit to Christ Church would be complete

order to destroy all images of Becket by blocking

without a visit to the Hall to see Alice’s window and

out the face. Pray for those who suffer for their faith

the Harry Potter film set (although not strictly part

today.

of the church!). Out the other side of the Cathedral, in the Cathedral Garden, Alice’s door can be seen

Memorials to famous members of Christ Church

in the wall of the adjoining Deanery Garden. Give

include John and Charles Wesley, founders

thanks for the God-given gift of creativity and pray

of Methodism; the poet W.H. Auden; and the

for writers and artists.

philosopher John Locke. Give thanks for the great University of Oxford and pray for those who study and work here.

OXFORD DIOCESE PILGRIM PROJECT

You might also like to visit other nearby churches in the Pilgrim Project: Oxford Diocese Pilgrim Project: Christ Church Cathedral OX1 1DP

St Mary the Virgin, Oxford Spiritual heart of ancient university

Website: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral

St Mary of Antioch, Binsey Alice in Wonderland’s treacle well Dorchester Abbey Ancient abbey church

PILGRIMAGE PRAYER Pilgrim God, You are our origin and our destination.

Travel with us, we pray, in every pilgrimage of faith, and every journey of the heart.

Give us the courage to set off, the nourishment we need to travel well, and the welcome we long for at our journey’s end.

So may we grow in grace and love for you and in the service of others. through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford

Illustrations by Brian Hall © Diocese of Oxford