Williamsburgh Cathedral
Williamsburgh Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Alban at Williamsburgh, is the national church of Saint Albans and is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in the region. It is the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Williamsburgh, leader of the Anglican Church in Saint Albans and the nations most senior cleric. It is the national or state church; as such, all events of national importance generally feature the cathedral in some manner.
The First and Second Churches
The foundation date of the first church on the site is disputed. The cathedral's official history states that it was founded by Alban the Martyr in 209AD and fragments recovered in a 1910 archaeological survey appear to back this, though no actual remains of that first church have yet been found. Following a fire in 581, the church was rebuilt. A brief description claims that this second church was cruciform in shape, with a nave of 3 bays, a central tower and a quire and chancel of 2 bays and an apse. This church had no significant importance, and the nearby monastic church of Saint George was a more prestigious and striking structure.
The Third Church
The building of a shrine to Saint Alban which included a number of his bones in around 890 precipitated a wholesale rebuilding project to accommodate increasing numbers of pilgrims. At the same time, the church became attached to it's own foundation of Benedictine monks who were established in order to offer hospitality to those pilgrims. Under the first Abbot, Martin of Torres, work was begun on an impressive structure of a 5-bay nave, a wide transept and a quire and chancel of a further 5 bays. Unusually, this church had no central tower but rather feature striking towers at the termination of the transepts. Materials from the second church were incorporated into the third, and the shrine to Alban was located under the crossing, signifying his growing importance in the national conscience.
With the adoption in 1040 of Alban as the national patron, the number of pilgrims again grew rapidly, and at around this time the church eclipsed in income the principal foundations of the country. With this increased spending power and the need to accommodate the massing pilgrims, Abbot Gregory began a project of expansion. The nave was extended by 3 bays and a second set of side aisles were added, while the east end was extended by 2 bays. The floor level east of the crossing was increased, providing a large crypt area. An imposing screen was built at the top of the new rise of steps, closing the eastern end off completely to the people. Gregory's successors added various structures in a somewhat piecemeal manner, and by 1100 Saint Alban's church was a bizarre building that lacked any remarkable features.
Elevation and Rebuilding
During a festival mass in 1153, the north tower collapsed and the majority of the north transept was destroyed; fortunately, there were no fatalities. Abbot Norman of Benzine, merely patched up the building, and the remaining usable bay of the northern transept was closed off with a wall pierced by a single circular window. This darkened the church, and particular the shrine, considerably. Two years later, Abbot Francis petitioned Pope Adrian IV, asking for permission to demolish the church and begin anew. Adrian refused the request at the intervention of the King, who was seeking to have the relics of Alban transferred to the cathedral church up-river in Saint Albans City. A bitter dispute ensued and the king began to tax those that returned to the capital having been to venerate the shrine. In return, the Abbot publicly chastised the King. Incensed at Francis' apparent treason, the King unsuccessfully sought his removal. In July of that year, Francis was murdered by a pilgrim who was shortly thereafter found dead in the abbey grounds. Rumours persisted that Francis had been assassinated by order of the King, but no proof has ever been found. A week later, the king had lapsed into severe illness and his death a fortnight after Francis' was seen as a sign of his guilt and of God's displeasure. Seizing the opportunity, the monks of Saint Albans petitioned for the removal of Bishop Alan, who was blamed for his refusal to support Francis over the king. Pope Adrian subsequently stripped Alan of his bishopric, and declared that the shrine to Alban in Williamsburgh was the true shrine. Elevating the abbey church to a cathedral church and appointing Francis' successor as it's first Bishop, the ruinous church was suddenly something of a pariah.
The Fourth Church
Bishop Alexander set about the construction of the fourth church. His choice of the Romanesque style was met with criticism in the face of the new vogue of the Gothic that was beginning to sweep Europe. Nevertheless, Alexander's Abbey Church was imposing in it's size: a 10-bay double-aisle nave, transepts of 4 bays each, a solid (though squat) central tower and a quire of 4-bays terminating in an apse became for a short time the longest church in the world. However, Alexander died in mid 1165, and though the church was nearly complete, it had not yet been consecrated. Bishop Edmund (1165-79) slowed construction in order to finance improvements to the monastic buildings, though under Edmund the church was consecrated for use and became the official cathedral church. In 1174, the remaining parts of Abbot Gregory's [third] church were demolished to allow for the completion of the nave.
The Current Church
The central tower of this fourth church collapsed less than 40 years after it's completion, taking much of the quire with it. By now, the cathedral had become the principal church in the country and was the central place of pilgrimage for surrounding countries. Bishop Nicholas (1219-1233) began the modernising and expansion of the church into it's final and current state. The ruined central portion of the church was rebuilt in the new Gothic style, and at this time the rest of the building was refashioned into a Gothic style. The facades of the transepts escaped this rebuilding, and they remain as the only original evidence of the church's Romanesque heritage. It was intended that the transepts would each be flanked by twin towers of a handsome design: the southern pair were completed but before the northern pair progressed beyond the height of their adjoining aisles, a grand new design had been published. The old west front was pulled down, and a new, massive transept planned to take its place. Of 5-bays each, these transepts were larger than the chancel of the church they became a part of. More impressive still was the nave - an unprecedented 12-bay edifice that stretched 292 feet West of this new central crossing. This massive project proceeded generally without issue, and the church was reconsecrated merely 53 years later.
Above the new central crossing stood a small lantern which threw light down onto the once-again centrally placed Shrine to Alban. By 1320, with an substantial treasury and the backing of King John, the central tower was begun. Rising to 220 feet, this central tower was completed in 1340, and 5 years later a slender spire of a further 200 feet was raised upon it. Finally completed, the cathedral cemented it's place in the nation over the following 200 years.
Dissolution and Reformation: 1539-1544
By the mid 1530's, the flames of dissent were raging across Europe. Following the suit of several European monarchs, Stephen III broke the nations ties to the Pope and the Roman Church. Though short-lived, the reformation had a devastating effect on the countries churches in particular. The celebration of the mass was permitted only on the principal festivals of Christmas and Easter, and the use of liturgical rites were forbidden. Countless examples of medieval windows were lost across the nation in the 4 years of Stephen's reformation. The monks of St Alban's succeeded in removing the glass from around 80% of the cathedrals windows. Storing them secretly, they replaced them with clear glass to fulfill the directions of the king. The reformation was grossly unpopular, and they were aided by a large number of residents. Also saved were the relics of Alban - replaced with the bones of a destitute man recently buried outside of the cathedral precinct. The monks were however unable to prevent the destruction of the shrine to Alban. So massive and solid was the structure, that after failed attempts to take it apart, the remainder was brutally smashed. The pieces of the shrine were scattered and the jewels and precious metals used in it's adornment were confiscated. During this period, the episcopate was suppressed, and the cathedral briefly lost it's status as such. In 1540, the monks surrendered the abbey and were evicted. The majority of the monastic buildings were turned over to communal use - taverns and shops sprung up in the former dormitories.
Revolution and Restoration
By the summer of 1544, rebellions had become widespread. During this period, the King'S Council began to evolve into a separate and accountable entity. In July, the Council met with the former Bishops of the Church and began to plot for Stephen's removal. Stephen's excommunication lent considerable help to their cause, and by late September they were sufficiently emboldened to announce the deposition of Stephen. Surrounded by a great throng of people, Bishop Nicholas approached his cathedral, confronted by an armed guard. Despite the threat of death for the public use of Catholic liturgy, the Bishop incited the crowd to begin the singing of Psalm 24. When the guards threatened the Bishop with their weaponry, the crowds surged forward. Overwhelming the small number of soldiers, the crowds broke down the doors and flooded into their cathedral. Historians cannot agree, but it is thought that as many as 10000 people filled the building in defiance of the King. The next day, the cathedral was besieged by the King and some 4000 soldiers. The massacre of women and children in the ensuing chaos led many to desert the king, or else to switch allegiances. Stephen retreated to the White Castle. The second day after the initial occupation, Stephen's half brother James was brought before the Bishops and people. Signing a hastily written proto-constitution, James was crowned King on Wednesday 19th September, 1544. The resulting civil war was mercifully short - Stephen was captured attempting to flee three days before Christmas. He was found disguised as a woman attempting to board a merchant ship.
James reign was short lived, however. His death in June 1545 extinguished the Henrician Branch of the Moravian Dynasty. The most eligible heir, William of York, was crowned in the Cathedral in 1546, and her long rule provided the support necessary for the flourishing of the new national church. Though invited back into communion with Rome under James, the nation had never formally accepted and existed in a state of confusion for the next few years. With the death of Bishop Selwyn in 1551, William was asked by his newly-formed Parliament to appoint a successor. Though born to a Catholic family, William had experienced the Marian Persecution in England and was reluctant to return to Rome. Ignoring the Papal election of Ignatius as Selwyn's replacement, William instead asked the extant Bishops of his church to elect one among their number to lead them. This formalised the separation of the church in St Albans from Rome.
During the reign of William and his successor Matthew, the cathedral was gradually restored to it's pre-dissolution grandeur. The monks of the Abbey, however, never returned. A secular governing body was founded in the waning years of William's reign, and the most senior of the remaining monastics was invited to become the Cathedral's first Dean. Thus, Abbot John Edmunds became Dean in 1598. William's death in 1606 was met with a national outpouring of grief not seen for two centuries. A grand funeral procession from the White Castle to the cathedral was lined with people of all classes. Matthew I honoured his father's popularity with the construction in 1615 of the Lady Chapel, east of the Chancel, in the Perpendicular style.
A period of general restoration was initiated under the patronage of King Richard V at the request of Bishop Robert in 1700. During this restoration, the crypt of the old cathedral was re-opened and rebuilt for use. The cathedral library was stored here from 1710 until 1972. Also during this restoration, a new shrine was built. This simple tomb shrine again began to attract pilgrims, though Alban's relics remained lost. The old medieval windows were re-installed as part of the restoration program between 1750-1780. Their restoration required the founding of the Williamsburgh Guild of Glaziers, who to this day maintain the windows of nearly every church building in the Capital District. In 1782, the cathedral bells were overhauled as the result of a bequest by a recently departed local merchant.
