About Durham Cathedral

The copies of the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest which will be on tour in Canada are owned by Durham Cathedral, located in Durham in the United Kingdom.

Durham Cathedral has been a place of worship, welcome and hospitality for almost a millennium. Built in 1093 to house the Shrine of St Cuthbert, the Cathedral is cherished for its magnificent Romanesque architecture and incomparable setting at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous as the Shrine of St Cuthbert and the resting place of the Venerable Bede.

Originally built as a monastic cathedral for a community of Benedictine monks, Durham Cathedral possesses some of the most intact surviving monastic buildings in England, including the medieval cloister, the Monks’ Dormitory and the Western Undercroft. The nave, quire and transepts are all Norman and the nave boasts what is believed to be the world’s first structural pointed arch.

With its dramatic position at the top of the Durham City peninsula, Durham Cathedral is both physically and symbolically a focal point for the community of Durham and the wider North East region.

Durham Cathedral is also one of Britain’s best-loved buildings. The iconic view of Durham Cathedral from the East Coast mainline has long been admired and the architectural and historical importance of Durham Cathedral was recognized in 1986 when the Durham World Heritage Site was inscribed as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK.