The cathedral is built on what is believed to be the site of the martyrdom of St Alban. The hill upon which it stands overlooks the valley of the river Ver, beyond which lie the buried ruins of the Roman city of Verulamium.
The shrine of St Alban is documented from early times, and it is recorded that St Germanus of Auxerre visited the site in 429. Early in the 8th century, Bede wrote of the 'beautiful Church worthy of all Alban's martyrdom where miracles of healing took place.' The monastic structure of this church was re-ordered by King Offa of Mercia in 793 and a new order and discipline introduced by St Oswald in the 960s. The availability of huge amounts of building material from the ruins of nearby Roman Verulamium was put to good use in the Norman era, from which time many of the features of the building date.
The shrine of St Alban
Restoration was completed in 1993 and the shrine was rededicated in the presence of HM The Queen Mother in that year. The shrine is a site of national pilgrimage and is used as a place of prayer and meditation by visitors every day. Like many of England's shrines, it was demolished at the dissolution of the monasteries. The Purbeck marble pedestal was relocated in various locations in the Abbey in more than 2000 fragments. The niches in the shrine may well be healing holes. The altar and iron-work around the shrine, designed by Mr George Pace, a former Cathedral Architect, were dedicated in 1967 as memorial gifts.
Photograph used with the kind permission of The Fraternity of The Friends of St Albans Abbey.
Significant dates in the history of the
Cathedral and Abbey Church
c 250 The Martyrdom of St Alban 793 King Offa provides an endowment for the monastery on the site 1077 Paul de Caen is appointed Abbot 1077 - 1115 Robert the Mason builds the Norman church and tower using flint and 4th century Roman brick 1195 - 1214 Western porches commenced 1213 Meeting of barons leading to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 1214 - 1235 West front completed and nave extended westward 1235 - c 1290 Presbytery extended eastwards c 1302 - 1308 Shrine of Alban 1308 - 1326 Lady Chapel built 1323 - 1327 Five bays of south nave arcade rebuilt after a fall of masonry 1400 The Watching loft is installed 1447 The Duke of Gloucester's Chapel is built 1484 The High Altar screen is erected 1520 The Ramryge chantry is built 1539 The dissolution of the monasteries 1553 The church is bought by the townspeople and the Lady Chapel becomes a school 1856 - 1877 Restoration under Sir George Gilbert Scott, architect 1862 The Nave murals are uncovered 1870 The Lady Chapel is reverted to church use. The tower is strengthened and the Shrine pedestal is restored. 1877 The diocese of St Albans is founded and the Abbey becomes a cathedral. Thomas Claughton enthroned as 1st Bishop of St Albans ( 12 June) 1880 - 1885 Fronts rebuilt and restoration completed by Lord Grimthorpe 1890 John Festing enthroned as 2nd Bishop of St Albans (7 October) 1900 Walter Lawrance installed as 1st Dean of St Albans (18 July) 1903 Edgar Jacob enthroned as 3rd Bishop of St Albans (16 May) 1914 George Blenkin installed as 2nd Dean of St Albans (28 November) 1920 Michael Furse enthroned as 4th Bishop of St Albans (22 April) 1925 Edward Henderson installed as 3rd Dean of St Albans (25 April) 1936 Cuthbert Thickness installed as 4th Dean of St Albans (17 March) 1945 Philip Loyd enthroned as 5th Bishop of St Albans (6 January) 1950 Michael Gresford Jones enthroned as 6th Bishop of St Albans (28 September) 1955 Kenneth Mathews installed as 5th Dean of St Albans (12 November) 1964 Noel Kennaby installed as 6th Dean of St Albans (25 January) 1970 Robert Runcie enthroned as 7th Bishop of St Albans (14 March) 1973 Peter Moore installed as 7th Dean of St Albans (3 November) 1980 John Taylor enthroned as 8th Bishop of St Albans (14 June) 1982 The Chapter House, designed by William Whitfield and built on the site of the original monastic Chapter House, is opened by HM The Queen. 1989 The Laporte window is unveiled by HRH The Princess of Wales (26 September) 1993 Following extensive renovation, the Alban shrine is re-dedicated in the presence of HM The Queen Mother 1994 Christopher Lewis installed as 8th Dean of St Albans (26 February) 1995 Foundation of St Albans Abbey Girls' Choir 1995 Memorial Chapel Restored by St Albans ex Service Organizations 1995 Henry More's Single Standing Figure (1981) placed in the North Transept 1996 Christopher Herbert enthroned as 9th Bishop of St Albans (20 January) 1996 Ramryge Chantry restored to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the episcopal ordination of Archbishop Lord Runcie. 1999 To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of their refounding The Fraternity of the Friends reordered the North and South Quire Aisles and replaced all the chairs in the Cathedral. 1999 The fragments of the 12th century shrine of St Alban reassembled as the Altar of the Persecuted in the North Transept. 2000 Duke Humphrey's Chantry restored by the Freemasons of Hertfordshire to commemorate the Millennium. 2000 Archbishop Lord Runcie buried in the North Churchyard. 2002 Five Year programme of conservation of the Presbytery Ceiling completed 2002 A bone believed to be of Saint Alban and the gift of the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Pantaleon, Cologne, Germany placed within the Shrine Pedestal 2003 Visit of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (14 March) 2004 Completion of eleven year programme of wall painting conservation and cleaning by the Perry Lithgow Partnership 2004 Jeffrey John installed as 9th Dean of St Albans (2nd July) 2006 Lady Chapel Stonework cleaned and wheelchair lift to Saint's Chapel installed 2006 New stained glass window depicting Our Lady and St Columba installed in the south nave aisle. The gift of St Columba's College
A full and learned description of the architectural history of the cathedral can be found in:
'The Hill of the Martyr: an architectural history of St Albans Abbey' (Dunstable, 1994) by Eileen Roberts, ISBN 1 871199 26 3 (paperback) available from the Cathedral Bookstall and other outlets.
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