A Vision for St Albans Cathedral
A community of welcome and witness Inspired by Alban, Britain s first Christian martyr, sustained by our tradition of hospitality, worship, and learning, and renowned as a place of pilgrimage, the Cathedral is a community of welcome and witness. St Albans Cathedral is a holy place of worship and of witness to the story of Saint Alban. It is also a thriving community with a rich heritage that we endeavour to share with as many people as possible. Today, we welcome: more than 1500 members and a regular Sunday congregation of 1000 worshippers; more than 200,000 visitors and pilgrims a year; more than 16,000 school children a year who benefit from our award-winning heritage education programme; many different local groups and organisations that stage concerts, festivals, award ceremonies, school services; and, regular congregations for Free Church, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Orthodox services in the Cathedral, perpetuating the groundbreaking precedent set thirty years ago reaching out to other Christian denominations. In this way, St Albans Cathedral is tremendously successful. Yet, there is a strong sense both from within the Cathedral community and from wider afield that the Cathedral is not well-known nor sufficiently prominent in national and local arenas given its rich heritage and importance. In recognition of this untapped potential St Albans Cathedral is embarking on an exciting programme for growth.
A vital community and facility A strong sense of community has always been part of Cathedral life. Following the Reformation, the townsfolk purchased the Abbey for their parish church. To this day, there is an exceptionally high level of lay involvement in the running of the Cathedral, best evidenced by its network of more than 1000 volunteers, as well as significant support from the congregation, which does so much to nurture and sustain this place. The Cathedral is the largest covered space in Hertfordshire and as such, is a well-used venue. However, the opportunity for simultaneous activities to take place on the site is severely limited. Demand is too great to satisfy all the interested and committed parties. And having reached capacity in terms of time and space, there is no opportunity for further internal growth or development. Even simply as a parish church as well as the mother church of the Diocese, the Cathedral needs significant works just to deliver on its core liturgical functions so that the Cathedral rightfully presents itself as a holy place. These include the conservation and cleaning of the historic fabric, preserving its unique medieval wall paintings, completing the reordering of some of the liturgical spaces such as the Nave, upgrading the infrastructure (liturgical, lighting and sound systems, storage) and vitally for all our visitors, significantly improving access paths to and around the Cathedral. In attracting ever more people, the Cathedral needs to be able to meet their expectations. Expanded operations using traditional and modern forms of communication and technology are key. Improvements in the professional management of the building as an events venue are essential as are expanded catering, retail and toilet facilities. More ambitiously, some of these needs could be best met through a variety of exciting opportunities for premises development such as the possibility of an expanded Chapter House, a purpose-built education centre, the re-creation of the medieval cloister on the Orchard, building over the Monks Graveyard or creating new housing to reinforce the living community by the presence of residential clergy. Each of these possibilities would provide unique opportunities for interpretation of the medieval monastic site and its heritage.
An enhanced national and local presence We aim to undertake a series of initiatives designed to strengthen our national prominence as a centre for pilgrimage and learning. We want to draw and welcome increasing numbers of worshippers and visitors to the national shrine of Britain s first Christian martyr. The Cathedral has been a site of continuous Christian worship for over 1700 years, since Alban sheltered a Christian fugitive and was martyred for professing his faith. A Benedictine community was established here in Saxon times and a Norman abbey was built on the site, much of which remains today (including its unique and spectacular medieval wall paintings). The Benedictine tradition of hospitality, to welcome guests as if they were Christ himself, continues boldly to this day. We are committed to incorporating the Cathedral further into its local environment to the mutual benefit of the City and Cathedral. Areas of consideration will include opening up the access and visibility to the Cathedral, working with the museums and tourist industries to provide the necessary packages and initiatives to support visitors in St Albans, emphasising the planned tourist routes through the City and supporting road surfacing improvements and other traffic measures to improve pedestrian access around the Cathedral. We are keen to deepen our relationship with the immediate St Albans community and are enthusiastic participants in the ongoing City Vision initiative. This programme seeks to create a plan for the St Albans city centre that enhances the experience and function of our local environment while remaining sensitive to its historic past.
A rich environment of learning and heritage The Cathedral is an enthusiastic proponent of education dating back to its existence in medieval times as a centre of learning. As the premier Benedictine monastery of the medieval period, the Cathedral was a national centre of learning rivalling the emerging universities of Oxford and Cambridge. With more than 16,000 school children visiting each year, the Cathedral is passionate about its role as a provider of education and enrichment. Our achievements regularly attract awards and our educators are generous with their time in sharing their approach with others. The Cathedral also hosts theological formation and training through the St Albans Centre for Christian Studies and the Eastern Region Ministry Course. It houses the Hudson memorial library, a theological and architectural library, as well as its own archive of historical documents and artefacts. We constantly refresh and expand our learning environment to meet the demands of visitors and worshippers. As the number of visitors grows, so does the need to offer better narratives and interpretations of the Cathedral and its rich heritage. In particular, we must expand our ability and resource devoted to telling the story of Saint Alban, the history and practice of pilgrimage, and the life and features of the premier medieval monastery.
Next steps This is a tremendously exciting and dynamic time in the Cathedral s long history. The Cathedral possesses a rich heritage as a place of hospitality, worship, pilgrimage and learning. It has untapped potential to gain further national and local prominence through providing an enhanced educational experience and superior facilities to all who visit and worship there. The Cathedral looks forward to articulating its plans for the future more clearly in the weeks and months ahead. We anticipate the launch of a special development initiative to make these aspirations a reality. For further information please contact the Cathedral Development Officer, Julian Hopkins: 01727 890229 do@stalbanscathedral.org.uk
Interesting facts about your Cathedral Saint Alban was Britain s first Christian martyr St Albans is the longest, continuous site of Christian worship in Britain over 1700 years There was a Benedictine monastery on the site from as early as the 8th century, until the Reformation in the 16th century The Norman Abbey Church was built by recycling bricks from Roman Verulamium and from previous Saxon churches on the site St Albans Abbey was the premier Benedictine community of the medieval period The famous medieval chronicler, Matthew Paris, was a monk of the Abbey and examples of his work concerning the life of the Abbey remain Nicholas Breakspear, a local man who later became Pope Hadrian IV, was refused admittance as a monk of the Abbey The parts of the Norman Abbey still standing today are 1000 years old The progress of medieval architecture can be seen in the Cathedral today as parts were rebuilt and developed The Cathedral retains many features from the medieval period, in particular the stunning wall paintings The Abbey was purchased by the townsfolk following the Reformation and became a parish church; the parish of St Albans Abbey remains to this day The Abbey attained Cathedral status in 1877 Today, with over 1500 people, St Albans Cathedral has the largest membership by some considerable margin of any other English cathedral, with a regular Sunday attendance of 1000 people The Cathedral receives over 200,000 visitors each year, as well as over 16,000 school children and has an army of 1000 volunteers who support its work
Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban Sumpter Yard St Albans Herts AL1 1BY 01727 850780 www.stalbanscathedral.org.uk