A visit to Durham Cathedral was one of the "must dos" for this trip. I'd long read that it is one of the most beautiful of all English cathedrals, and that it has one of the most integrated styles. But my reasons for wanting to visit were more personal. I wanted to pay my respects to one of my patron saints, the Venerable Bede. So on Sunday I skipped out of London, and caught one of the high speed trains up north to Durham. From the train station, located high up on one of the city's hills, there is a breathtaking view of the cathedral, looming over the city, with the castle behind it. The cathedral must have one of the most spectacular sites in all of Britain. It is placed on the highest peak, at a bend in the river Wear. The medieval city stretches out all around the opposite bank. It is a working city, not a glorified tourist trap like so many other "charming" towns here. From the train station one passes through the town before climbing the rather steep hill to the cathedral.

Durham is unique for many reasons. The first of which is its unusual layout. Most cathedrals are arranged in a west to east direction. One enters through the west door and travels down the nave toward the high altar at the east end. The priest who said mass at the high altar faced the rising sun, which represented to the medieval mind Christ, the morning star. The west represented Satan and evil, the east, new life and goodness. For this reason the baptismal font was often placed in the entrance, as the catechumen threw off his old, sinful life in the west before travelling to the east for the sacrament of the eucharist.

Durham is arranged west to east, but one cannot enter via the west door. At Durham, the west door is blocked. The Galilee chapel, built in 1170 makes the west door unusuable as an entrance to the cathedral.  This arrangement makes Durham unique. The reasons why a chapel was placed in such an odd location is subject to debate and a large dose of legend. The most interesting is that St. Cuthbert, whose relics lie in the east end of the cathedral was a rampant misogynist. When work began on a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Cuthbert caused the foundations to crack. Several attempts were made before cathedral authorities determined that the saint was unhappy that a shrine to a woman (even THIS woman) was being built so close to his. Work was abandoned, and the Lady chapel moved to the west end.
 
As a result, one enters the cathedral via the north door. On this door is fixed a replica of the famous sanctuary knocker (the original is visible in the cathedral's treasury). In the middle ages, one accused of a crime could seek sanctuary within the church. If he reached the knocker, he was granted assylum for 40 days within the adjacent monastery. After 40 days, he would either turn himself in to the authorities, or leave for exile, escorted away by the monks. During the period that he was within the sanctuary, however, he was free from any civil prosecution and under the protection of the church.
 
Durham's nave features massive stone pillars each incised with a different decorative scheme. The overall design is Romanesque, giving the inside a dark and somewhat gloomy feel, quite distinct from the Gothic designs of the later middle ages. While I love Gothic cathedrals, I found Durham quite pleasant.
 
Returning to the aim of my pilgrimage, though, I immediately entered the cathedral and went into the Galilee chapel to pay my respects to the Venerable Bede. His tomb is located by the southwest door, raised up from the floor of the chapel. He had a rather richly adorned shrine, which existed until the reformation. Now it is much more modest. There are four tall candlesticks at each corner, and a modern plaque above his tomb that carries one of the most beautiful lines from his commentary on the Apocalypse:  "Christ is the Morning Star who when the night of this world is past brings to his saints the promise of the light of life and opens everlasting day. " I began and ended my pilgrimage to Durham with a few quiet moments at Bede's tomb, remembering this great saint who is rightly called the Father of English History.