Norwich Cathedral

What 

An iconic Norman Cathedral and one of the most complete major Romanesque buildings in Europe 

Norwich Cathedral was founded by the first Bishop of Norwich, Herbert de Losinga. He acquired and cleared land in the centre of the city for the new Cathedral and adjacent Priory complex.

Norwich Cathedral is the most complete Norman Cathedral in the UK and boasts a wealth of Romanesque features with later Gothic additions to create one of the most atmospheric sacred spaces in Europe.

The Cathedral has the second tallest spire (at 96m or 315ft, only the spire at Salisbury is higher) and the largest surviving cloister in England.

Norwich Cathedral also has the largest collection of decorative roof bosses in Christendom, 1,106 in total. They provided one of the earliest forms of theological education, at a time when illiteracy was common.

The term Cathedral comes from the Bishop's Cathedra (throne) which is the Greek term for teaching seat. The unusual west facing throne at Norwich is built above the visible remains of the throne of St. Felix (the first Bishop of East Anglia in the seventh century). Bishop Herbert moved these stones to his new Cathedral to create a link between himself and St. Felix and the Saxon population.

Today the Cathedral still offers free admission and a full range of visitor services.