Relief of Saint Paulinus, c.1150
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A relief of a Romanesque bishop once adorning the West Facade possibly depicts St Paulinus.
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West Facade arcades, c.1150
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Romanesque sculpture reused in the spandrels of the Great West Window removed during Cottingham’s 1820s restoration, together with the evidence from other resued fragments in the vicinity, make it possible to piece together the form of the upper portions of the Romanesque west facade.
Read MoreThe reliquary annex, c. 1100
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Three plastered tufa stones, one depicting the shoulders of a Bishop with a halo possibly originated from a small annex on the east of the building proposed to be a reliquary for the bones of these two saints.
Read MoreMasons' marks
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Thousands of marks by the masons provide insights into the construction history of the Cathedral in the 12th century.
Read MoreMedieval ship graffiti
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Ships are of the few types of graffiti for which we have contemporary written records, detailing a colourful devotional ritual to St Nicholas, the patron saint of those in peril on the sea.
Read MoreKings, Queens and Consorts
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The medieval equivalent of a datestone, dozens of regal sculpted heads adorn the Cathedral architecture, from the House of Normandy to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Read MoreStatue Swap
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Two statues flanking the Great West Doors are a statement of the dual patronage of the Cathedral in the mid-twelfth century. Eight-hundred years of weathering and damage have obscured their identities, so exactly who is depicted?
Read MoreDemons and Dragons
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The medieval sculpture of the Nave Crossing features a bestiary of demons, dragons, imps and grotesques. Why did the builders and patrons of the medieval Cathedral fill their place of sanctity and refuge with such nightmarish imagery?
Read MoreThe Chapter House, 12th century
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The Chapter House was constructed in the twelfth century and survives in ruin, having lost its roof in the 18th century. It was where the monks met daily to discuss the business of the day.
Read MoreArchaeology of the Priory Cloisters
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Unlike most monastic establishments where the cloister (‘enclosed'/’seperate’ - the monastic part of the medieval Cathedral Precinct) ranges are to the south of the nave the cloister at Rochester is situated to the south of the presbytery and quire.
Read MoreConcerning the Harmony of the Gospels by St Augustine of Hippo, c. 1103
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Beverley Jacobs leafs through the oldest volume in the Chapter Library dating to circa 1100 AD.
Read MoreMedieval tombs
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Rochester Cathedral features twelve intact medieval coffin-tombs spaced around the east end of the building in proximity to the high altar. They were the final resting place of bishops of priors.
Read MoreIndex of texts in Textus Roffensis
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Index of contents in the Textus Roffensis by Dr Christopher Monk.
Read MoreThe Main Scribe of Textus Roffensis (fl. 1123)
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Dr Christopher Monk explores the scribal practices in Textus Roffensis.
Read MoreThe monastic cemetery, 1080-1540
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The monks of Saint Andrew’s Priory were buried to the east of the Cathedral, beneath the site of the Old Deanery and Cathedral car park. Excavations during works over the past 30 years have revealed many skeletal remains from the area.
Read MoreRoman city wall & south infirmary cloister wall
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Several references contemporary references are made to an infirmary, where the ‘smaller brothers’, the sick and infirm monks were cared for. It is thought to be situated to the east of the main cloister and forming a smaller infirmary cloister itself.
Read MoreGreat West Door Portal, c.1150
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Dozens of dragons, chimera, disgorging beasts and other grotesques encode worldly sins and dangers as preached by the Church in the mid-C12th, ‘othered’ and outside of the sanctity and mission within.
Read MoreThe cellarers range, c.1114
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Philip McAleer studies the west range of the cloisters, thought to have been the cellerers range where food and drink for the priory was stored in cool, sunken vaults.
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