When ever I travel to England I am always struck by the magnificence of the cathedrals and churches. The attention to detail and incredible carvings leave me at a loss for words to describe their splendor.
On our most recent trip to the UK a few weeks ago we visited Lichfield Cathedral near the city off Birmingham.
I saw the most wonderful carved pillars and arches.
The first cathedral in Lichfield was consecrated on Christmas Day 700. It is dedicated to St Chad, the first Bishop in Lichfield in 669 and was built to house the bones of St Chad which had become a sacred shrine to many pilgrims after his death in 672.
The one remaining volume of the Lichfield Gospels, also know as the Book of Chad, is on display in the cathedral. The second volume went missing around the time of the English Civil War. Unfortunately, the book was closed during our visit as it was being given a rest from the light.
There are many fascinating sculptures and items of interest to see in this cathedral, we spend over 90 minutes there, but the one item that really captures your imagination is the Lichfield Angel. This depiction of the Archangel Gabriel was discovered under the nave of the cathedral in 2003. It was originally part of a stone chest which is thought to have contained the relics of St Chad. The panel was broken in three places but is still very beautiful.
The cathedral also has two ancient stones on display. These are from a Norman cathedral that was built on the same site from 1085 A.D. These carvings had been used as rubble in the foundations of the later building.
Lichfield Cathedral is definitely one of the oldest and most beautiful cathedrals I have visited to date.
This post was written for Sue Vincent’s photograph prompt: Pillars. You can join in the challenge here:Ā https://scvincent.com/2018/09/20/thursday-photo-prompt-pillars-writephoto/
The architecture and artwork are stunning! Thank you for sharing!!
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Thank you, Dorinda. It is an amazing cathedral.
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I can only imagine! It’s wonderful.
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They don’t make buildings like these anymore!
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No, they really don’t. The workmanship is unbelievable.
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Lichfield is a stunning little cathedral… one of my favourites.
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I thought you must have visited this one, Sue. I loved it and could have spent another couple of hours there.
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I pass via Lichfield every time I run north, so I sort of had to… the first time I wasn’t dashing home to Nick š
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Absolutely gorgeous photos and I loved the historical references. Thanks for sharing, Robbie!
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I am delighted that you enjoyed this, Mae.
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So much history behind these stones. Beautiful.
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Thank you, Bryan. I thought they were fascinating.
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Well that’s a truly novel and interesting take on the prompt Robbie, I really enjoyed it šš
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Thank you, Willow. I am glad you enjoyed this.
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I really did Robbie šš
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I really like the broken angel. (K)
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Thank you, I like it too.
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