Coventry Cathedral - A Story of Death & Re-Birth

Hey guys,

After a long, stressful and hard week in uni comes the weekend, and you think you don't have anywhere to go to, just to relax and have fun and get your mind off the stressful week because you do not want to spend much. When it comes to entertaining your friends and yourself, the cost of going out can soon add up. But after living in Coventry I have come to the conclusion that you do not have to have money to entertain yourself and, as students, even at those times when you do have money to spare, Coventry has loads of attractions at a very subsidized rate.The country is home to some top attractions for all, and guess WHAT many of them are FREE!!!!! And even the ones you have to pay for are not very expensive and really worth your time and money. Today, we're talking about the Coventry Cathedral. You can visit this city attraction on your own (and free of cost) or you can book for a tour. Let me enlighten you a little about it before I tell you how you can go about booking for the tour.

 

History

Coventry has had three Cathedrals in the past 1000 years - the 12th century Priory Church of St Mary, the medieval Parish Church Cathedral of St Michael and the modern Coventry Cathedral, also named for St Michael. Coventry’s fortunes and story are closely associated to the story of its Cathedrals - a story of death and rebirth. Its earliest cathedral, dedicated to St Mary, was founded as a Benedictine community by Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his wife Godiva in 1043. Built on the site of a former religious house for nuns, its sheer size is some indication of the wealth which Coventry acquired in the middle ages.

The majority of the great ruined churches and cathedrals of England are the outcome of the violence of the dissolution in 1539. The ruins of St Michael’s are the consequence of violence in our own time.

During the tour I went for, I was told on the night of 14 November 1940, the city of Coventry was devastated by bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe. The Cathedral burned with the city, having been hit by several incendiary devices!! I was almost in tears when they showed the pictures>>

Coventry Cathedral after the war - the ruins






The New Cathedral from the air



The Cathedral now









 
Unlike the transport museum, this is not free :( The price for the tour is £8.00 for adults, £5.75 for concessions and free of cost for children under the age of 12. A story of death and rebirths - I know it’s a bit on the high side but trust me when I say it’s worth it because the stories are touching and its really beautiful and worth every dime.

Don't know how to get there or want to contact them? Look at the following information:

Coventry Cathedral

1 Hill Top

Coventry

CV1 5AB
Tel:+44 (0)24 7652 1200, +44 (0)24 7652 1200 

Fax: +44 (0)24 7652 1220

weyinmi omagbemi