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The first Christian building on the site was founded by Etheldreda, daughter of the Anglo-Saxon king of East Anglia, who was born in 630 at Exning near Newmarket. She acquired the land from her first husband, Tondberct, chief of the South Gyrvians, and after the end of her second marriage to Eegrfrid, a Northumbrian prince, set up and ran a monastery on the site in 673. When she died, a shrine was built to her memory in the Saxon church on the same site. (Incidentally, the common version of Etheldreda's name was St. Awdrey, which is the origin of the word tawdry - because cheap souvenirs were sold at fairs held in her name.) The monastery, and much of the city of Ely, were destroyed in the Danish invasions that began in 869 or 870Events The Danes invade England and conquer East Anglia. Among the buildings destroyed by the Danish invaders are the abbey of Ely and the monastery of Peterborough. 31 December: King Alfred of Wessex beats the Danes at Englefield, Berkshire. First of a s.
A new Benedictine monastery was built on the site by Athelwold, Bishop of WinchesterWinchester is a city in southern England, and the administrative capital of the county of Hampshire, with a population of around 35,000. It is the seat of the City of Winchester local government district which covers a much larger area, and was formerly t, in 970Events Major volcano eruption in Mashu Japan Devastating decade long famine begins in France Byzantine Emperor John I successfully defends the Eastern Roman Empire from massive barbarian invasion Construction completed on Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, world's. This became a cathedral in 1109Events Battle of Naklo Battle of Hundsfeld Fulk of Jerusalem becomes count of Anjou Alfonso I of Aragon marries Urraca of Castile Crusaders capture Tripoli Anselm of Laon becomes chancellor of Laon Births July 25 Afonso, first king of Portugal Deaths Alfo, after a new Diocese of Ely was created out of land taken from the Diocese of LincolnPeople Lincoln is the surname of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham "Abe" Lincoln Places Places in the Commonwealth Lincoln is a city in England—see Lincoln, England. It is also the name of several places in the Commonwealth of Nations: Port.
Choir of the Ely Cathedral, looking east. ca. 1890Events January 2 Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer for the U. White House. January 25 The United Mine Workers of America is founded. January 25 Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days. March 1 Leon Bourgeois succeeds Ernest The present cathedral was started by Abbot Simeon ( 1082Events Births Deaths 1082.- 1094Events May the siege of Valencia ends Pleas for help fighting the Seljuk Turks by Byzantium starts the First Crusade Duncan III of Scotland succeeds Duncan II of Scotland as King of Scotland The first mention of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, as it became a) under William I in 1083. Building continued under Simeon's successor, Abbot Richard (1100-1107). The Anglo-Saxon church was demolished, but some of its relics, such as the remains of its benefactors, were moved to the cathedral. The main transepts were built early on, and are the oldest surviving part of the cathedral. In 1322 the main crossing tower of Simeon's cathedral collapsed, injuring nobody but destroying the choir, and was rebuilt as an octagonal tower to a plan by the sacrist, Alan de Walsingham. A lantern tower was built on top of the Octagon by William Hurley, the King's carpenter, and is about 43 m high. The building was completed in 1351.
The cathedral is built from stone quarried from Barnack in Northamptonshire, with decorations in Purbeck marble and local clunch. The plan of the building is cruciform (cross-shaped), with the altar at the east end. The total length is 565 feet (172.2 m). The transepts cross the nave below the Octagon. Attached to the north transept is the Lady Chapel (built 1321-1349 in the Decorated style). The Romanesque style of the west front shows that it was built in the 12th century, with the addition of a 13th-century Galilee (porch). The west tower is about 65m high. The north-west transept collapsed in the 15th century and was never rebuilt, leaving a scar on the outside of that corner that can still be seen. The nave is over 75 m long and has a Victorian painted wooden ceiling.
In 1539, during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, the cathedral suffered only minor damage, but Etheldreda's shrine was destroyed. The cathedral was soon refounded in 1541.
The building has been the subject of several major restoration projects:
The building is still in active use, and also houses an exhibition of stained glass from the 13th century to the present.
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