Rochester cathedral

cathedral, Rochester, England, United Kingdom

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July 13, 2026

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Rochester Cathedral, located in Rochester, England, is a significant historical and religious site. Founded in 604 AD by King Aethelberht I, it became an episcopal see and grew around the Church of St. Andrew. The cathedral church features a Norman west front dating from 1125–1130, with later Gothic additions. It is one of several major churches begun in the Anglo-Norman style during the Romanesque period. The city of Rochester itself has Roman origins, known as Durobrivae, and is situated on the River Medway, near its confluence with the Thames estuary. Rochester was a royal borough and its citizens received important privileges over time.12

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Rochester
The cathedral church has a Norman west front (1125–30) and later Gothic work. The remains of a Norman castle, chiefly a massive keep, overlook the river crossing, and there are remains of a 13th-century city wall. Other notable buildings include the Guildhall (1687), the almshouses (1579),…
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The cathedral church has a Norman west front (1125–30) and later Gothic work. The remains of a Norman castle, chiefly a massive keep, overlook the river crossing, and there are remains of a 13th-century city wall. Other notable buildings include the Guildhall (1687), the almshouses (1579),…
Read More

Western sculpture
Early Gothic
Rochester cathedral (c. 1150) has carved side figures, and Lincoln cathedral (c. 1140) once had them. The major displays of English early Gothic sculpture, however, took quite a different form. The chief surviving monument is the west front of Wells cathedral (c. 1225–40), where the…
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Rochester cathedral (c. 1150) has carved side figures, and Lincoln cathedral (c. 1140) once had them. The major displays of English early Gothic sculpture, however, took quite a different form. The chief surviving monument is the west front of Wells cathedral (c. 1225–40), where the…
Read More