What is a cathedral?

What is a cathedral? What is the difference between a church and a cathedral?

And what is the meaning and definition of “cathedral”.

(More of your cathedral related questions can be answered here).

A cathedral is the seat of the bishop and a centre of worship and mission. The primary purpose of a cathedral is to be a place of Christian worship but it is also often the oldest building in continuous use in its surrounding area and of significance to the heritage, culture and community life of the area it serves.

What is a cathedral?

A cathedral is a church which holds the seat of the bishop (in Latin, cathedra) and is the mother church of its diocese, the area under the pastoral care of the bishop.  A cathedral’s primary purpose is to be a place of Christian worship but it is also often the oldest building in continuous use in its surrounding area and of significance to the heritage, culture and community life of the area it serves.

What is a cathedral used for?

A cathedral is principally a church, a place of Christian worship, and holds services every day.  As the mother church of a diocese, a cathedral is a focal point for services and celebrations for those worshipping in churches throughout the diocese.  In many cases a cathedral is the largest building available for public use for some distance and acts as a venue for concerts, lectures, degree ceremonies and other such events.  A cathedral is open every day of the year to welcome anyone wishing to visit.

What is a cathedral church?

Sometimes people talk about the cathedral church to distinguish the place of worship, the church, from the rest of the cathedral complex, the areas and buildings attached to the church.

What is a cathedral chapter?

The Chapter of a cathedral is the trustee body of the cathedral, which is a charity.  In medieval times, when a cathedral’s governing body met, it was customary to read a chapter of the Bible or a monastic order’s rule book, so the meeting became know as a Chapter meeting and those present as the Chapter.  Now a Chapter comprises the senior clergy of the cathedral, the Dean and Residentiary Canons, and others including lay people appointed as trustees.

What is a cathedral canon (or dean or precentor)?

A number of clergy work in each cathedral.  The most senior is called the Dean, who has oversight of all of a cathedral’s activities.  Others are called Residentiary Canons.  They have specific responsibilities allocated to them so they are often called by their area of responsibility, for example a Canon Precentor is responsible for a cathedral’s music and liturgy.  Cathedrals also have Honorary Canons who are clergy from the diocese working full-time in their parishes but who come to the cathedral on special occasions.

What is the difference between a cathedral and a church?

A cathedral is a church but, because it holds the seat of the bishop (in Latin, cathedra), it is called a cathedral and is the mother church of the diocese (the area under the bishop’s pastoral control).

What is the difference between a cathedral and a minster?

A cathedral holds the seat of the bishop (in Latin, cathedra) and is the mother church of the diocese (the area under the bishop’s pastoral control).  It’s possible for a Minster to be a cathedral (York Minster is a cathedral) but almost all minsters are large and important churches, with significance to their local areas and a greater role than just being a parish church, but they do not hold the bishop’s seat and are not cathedrals.

What is the difference between a cathedral and an abbey?

An abbey is (or was originally) home to a community of monks or nuns.  A church can still be called an abbey if it used to be the church of a monastic community.  Many of England’s cathedrals were run by monastic communities before the Reformation and the abbey church was given cathedral status when new dioceses were created and new homes for the seat of the bishop were needed.

What is a cathedral city / do you have to have a cathedral to be a city?

A cathedral city is a city which has a cathedral.  Historically, all towns with a cathedral were called a cathedral city but, more recently, city status has been granted by the monarch and there are many cities which don’t have a cathedral.  There are also some of the more recently consecrated cathedrals located in towns rather than cities, so nowadays the presence of a cathedral does not make the surrounding settlement a city.

More about cathedrals.

Cathedrals are the mother churches of their dioceses and act as focal points for services and celebrations for those worshipping in churches throughout the diocese.

• 38 out of 42 cathedrals are Grade I listed. Cathedrals are the oldest buildings in continuous use in their environments. They are complicated both archaeologically and architecturally. They are unique and priceless heritage assets.
• Cathedrals are open 365 days a year. They are open in times of national crisis and celebration and act as focal points in their communities. They provide unthreatening spiritual spaces for people.
• Cathedrals are often the largest buildings available for public use for some distance and act as venues for concerts, lectures, degree ceremonies and other such events.
• The cathedrals of England make a significant contribution to the life of the nation. Their social and economic impact was shown in research conducted in 2014. This showed that cathedrals were responsible for direct visitor-related spend of £125 million and for a total spend of £220 million, significant economic outcomes for the surrounding areas.
• Cathedrals offer facilities for visits by schools. Most cathedrals employ education officers who work within national curriculum guidelines to provide tours, trails and workshops which supplement classroom learning. The topics covered relate to religious education and history but also to a wide variety of other subjects – cathedrals are immensely rich learning resources.
• Cathedrals also offer opportunities for adult learning, providing guided tours for groups and openings to develop skills through volunteering. Very significant numbers of volunteers assist in keeping cathedrals open for the public to enjoy.
• Cathedrals are the main sustainers of the English Choral tradition, running choirs involving adults and children, both boys and girls. The English Choral tradition is a unique part of English culture but one which has suffered decline in recent years as choirs in parish churches have become less common. Cathedrals maintain the tradition and produce music of very high standard week in, week out. For those participating, cathedral music is a unique educational experience; singing as part of a professional team develops many transferable skills. The majority of cathedrals now have girls’ choirs as well as the more traditional boys’ choirs.
• Cathedral workshops employ a large proportion of the nation’s craftsmen with conservation skills, including stonemasons, carpenters, and stained glass specialists. Cathedrals have a very significant role in ensuring the continuity of conservation skills and in educating new craftsmen. Cathedrals work with both English Heritage and the National Skills Council to ensure that there are training opportunities for those interested in careers in conservation.

Now you know what a cathedral is, why not find out about each of them in our Cathedral A – Z by clicking here.