Chichester Cathedral Founded

1075

In 1075, the Council of London ordered that bishops' seats should be moved from rural locations to towns. The Bishop of Selsey, Stigand, accordingly transferred his cathedral from the isolated coastal site at Selsey to the walled town of Chichester. The move brought the diocese into line with continental practice and placed the bishop at the heart of the most significant settlement in his territory. The first cathedral building at Chichester was a relatively modest Norman structure, begun under Stigand and continued under his successors. The new cathedral was dedicated in 1108. It stood within the south-western quarter of the walled town, where the cathedral precinct remains today. The establishment of the cathedral transformed Chichester from a small market town into a cathedral city, bringing with it a chapter of canons, a school, a library, and the administrative apparatus of a diocese. The bishop's palace was built adjacent to the cathedral, and the close provided housing for the cathedral clergy. The diocese of Chichester covered most of Sussex and remained one of the smaller English dioceses. The cathedral's presence gave the city a status and an institutional continuity that outlasted changes in secular government. It also brought building projects, patronage, and a steady flow of clergy, pilgrims and officials that sustained the local economy.