Every day when we walk out our door, we simply have to turn around and we see the spire of the main Norwich Anglican Cathedral rising into the sky. It awed us the first time we saw it and every time since. It has been a marker for us for our entire time spent here. A marker for directions to get us home from the long rambles that Steve leads us all on and also from the much shorter rambles that Sophia and I take. A marker that we are not at home, and that we have traveled a great distance. And, especially, a marker of just how special is the place to which we have journeyed.
The history of the church begins around 1096 AD. It is mostly constructed in the Norman style with many renovations, alterations and additions over the centuries. It has the second tallest spire in all of England, and it is the only church to have a two-story cloister. The cloister has four corridors that form a square. The are roofed in, but have large arched windows that are left open to the air. It is thought that the second story of this cloister was used for housing monks at one time. It is an amazing experience to walk the cloister. I feel calmed, slowed, transported to a different time somehow. It feels holy - I think, even if you are not religious, or are of a different religion, the space would still feel very special to you. These four corridors form a courtyard within which is a large grassy area. In 2000, a labyrinth was added. These are stones laid in to the ground that form a circular path for you to follow. It takes concentration to stay in the lines, and so therefore clears your mind as you focus on the task at hand. And when you make the journey and come to the center, you look up and see the beautiful cloister corridors and even further up to see the ever-towering spire.
We have had some amazing times in the cathedral - from attending evensong services to formal tours to simply walking around on our own, nosing into nooks and crannies. Sophia has come to know this place and while she runs around and acts childlike as always when we are there, she seems also to know that it is a special place. Just tonight we attended a children's service in celebration of the upcoming holidays. All of the children got an orange and decorated it in a certain way to represent the seasons and the life of Christ. And, because this is a Christian church, there was a candle in the middle that, when lit, represents and reminds that Christ is the light of the world.
Outside of the Cathedral is the area known as the Close. The close is all of the buildings and grounds owned by and associated with the cathedral within the cathedral walls. It is a tremendously large area that houses a school and all its related buildings, spacious green areas and fields, an herb garden, stunning gates and doorways, and numerous buildings and houses, including a house for the Dean of the church. Some of the buildings and houses have been sold off by the church over the years for various reasons, mostly for need of money to run the church. But even the buildings that do not belong to the church are kept up in such a manner as to seem to still be a part of it. It is impossible to describe how beautiful is this space. Tranquil, magical, busy, calm, chaotic, empty, thronging with people, silent, jarringly loud and full of voices, cars and clanging, endlessly interesting, in the dawning light, in the dusk of evening, in the very dark of night, in-bloom, autumn leaves falling, covered in frost, grey and rain filled, bursting with incomparable blue skies and sunshine: this is how we have found the Close over the days that we have been here and walked through. We have lived a 5 minute walk from here our whole visit, and I dare say it is something that we will miss, very, very, very much.
BTW - I love the pictures we've taken because they are ours, but if you want to see some amazing professional shots of the cathedral, you can go here:
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