Oxford Cathedral, more popularly known as Christ Church Cathedral or the Cathedral Church of Christ, "is the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire," according to the cathedral's Wikipedia page here. "It is also, uniquely, the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. "
The name Christ Church Cathedral also refers to a magnificent cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, and the cathedral at Oxford University is therefore called Oxford Cathedral in order to avoid ambiguity and confusion. Indeed, while searching for images of Oxford Cathedral online, one may suddenly find oneself wandering down the nave of the cathedral in Dublin if one does not watch one's step.
One excellent source for images, of course, is the the official homepage for Christ Church, here, but the Picture Gallery tab actually refers one to artworks shown in the cathedral's gallery. Their Panoramic Virtual Tour, here, is cleverly hidden under the "Visiting" tab. To start the tour, one simply clicks the image of Wolsey's Great Hall, better known to Harry Potter fans as the "dining hall" at Hogwart's School. Wolsey's Great Hall was used as the setting for many Harry Potter film scenes.
For another detailed Virtual Tour of Christ Church, offering several 360-panoramic views, one may visit the University of Oxford's Virtual Tour of Christ Church here, designed by Karl Harrison in 2003. The tour requires a QuickTime plug-in.
Smallest Cathedral in England?
"Christ Church Cathedral is often claimed to be the smallest cathedral in England," says Wikipedia, "and although it did once hold this distinction there are now smaller cathedrals, as several parish churches were elevated to cathedral status in the 20th century.[1]
"The nave, choir, main tower and transepts are of the late Norman period. There are architectural features ranging from Norman to the Perpendicular style and a large rose window of the ten-part (i.e., botanical) type."
History of the Cathedral
According to Wikipedia, "The cathedral was originally the church of St Frideswide's Priory. The site is claimed to be the location of the abbey and relics of St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford, although this is debatable.
"In 1522, the priory was surrendered to Cardinal Wolsey, who had selected it as the site for his proposed college. However, in 1529 the foundation was taken over by King Henry VIII. Work stopped, but in June 1532 the college was refounded by the King. In 1546, Henry VIII transferred to it the see of Oxford from Osney. The cathedral has the name of Ecclesia Christi Cathedralis Oxoniensis, given to it by King Henry VIII's foundation charter.
"There has been a choir at the cathedral since 1526, when John Taverner was the organist and also master of the choristers. The statutes of Cardinal Wolsey's original college, initially called Cardinal College, mentioned sixteen choristers and thirty singing priests."
Choirs
"The main choir, Christ Church Cathedral Choir consists of 12 men (6 professional 'lay-clerks' and 6 student 'academical clerks') and 16 choristers (boys aged 7 - 13), and is directed by Dr Stephen Darlington. They sing in University term time, at Christmas and Easter, and have an extensive touring and recording programme.
"The Cathedral Singers consists of volunteers and is directed by John Padley. They are usually in residence outside of term time when the main choir choristers and academical clerks are on holiday.
The College choir sings every 1–2 weeks in term time, and is made up of current undergraduates and postgraduates from the College."
The Christ Church Cathedral Choir home page, found here, offers links to the choir's upcoming programs, discography, videos, and photo gallery. As one might expect, the choir at Oxford has often performed for BBC4 "Sunday Worship" program and BBC's "Choral Evensong" broadcast as well. The choir has a 500-year tradition of excellence, and it is therefore world-famous amongst classical musicians. A listing of the Christ Church Cathedral Choir's CDs may be found at the webpage for the choir's online store, here.
