The ruined cathedral and the new one
St Mary's Priory
During its long history Coventry has had three cathedrals.The first was founded in the Benedictine priory of St Mary's which was built in 1043. The priory was elevated to cathedral status in 1095 when the bishop moved his seat to Coventry from Lichfield.
It remained the bishop's seat until the reformation when by order of King Henry VIII, the building was destroyed. It was the only cathedral in England which was destroyed during the reformation. The bishop's seat returned to Lichfield.
The Coventry Transport museum is nearby and is also an extremely interesting place to visit.
The First St Michael's
St Michael's church was built between the late 14th and early 15th centruies. At the time it was one of the largest parish churches in England.
St Michael's was elevated to cathedral status in 1918 when the See of Coventry was created.
The cathedral was destroyed by enemy bombing of Coventry during the Second World War. The ruins you see in the photo tour are maintained as a memorial to people killed in the city and is dedicated to peace. On the day of my visit there was some rain. I was the only person in the ruins so I strongly felt the atmosphere of the futility of war.
The Second St Michael's
The foundation stone of the third cathedral was laid by Our Late Queen, Elizabeth II in March 1956.The cathedral was completed and was dedicated by the Bishop of Coventry in May 1962.
The "Great West Window" is known as the "Screen of Saints and Angels." It is extremely impressive and fairly difficult to photograph.
The cathedral is somewhat unusual in that it is not aligned East to West as most churches and cathedrals are, but North and South with the High Altar at the Northern end.