St Peter's Cathedral, Lendert

Saint Peter's Cathedral Priory
The Cathedral and Priory Church of Saint Peter and Saint Blaise at Lendert
Ecclesia Cathedralis et Prioratus Sancti Petri et Sancti Blasii Lendartiensis
Location	Lendert-with-Cadell
Country	Great Nortend
Denomination	Church of Nortend
History
Dedication	St Peter and St Blaise
Consecrated	August 1st, 1284
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Style	Gothic
Years built	1111–1322
Administration
Diocese	Lendert and Cadell
Province	Limmes
Officials
Lord Bishop and Abbot of Lendert	Cardinal Alan Gough
Bishop of Cadell	Walter Fitzcolling
Prior	Henry Finchen
Sub-Prior	Matthew Reedman
Part of a series on the Church of Nortend
Liturgy	Nortish Rite
Theology	Akeepian Frympellite
Structure Places Sulthey Cathedral Abbey Lendert Cathedral Priory Chepingstow Cathedral Minster Polton Cathedral Minster Allord Abbey University of Aldesey Nortish religious houses Churchmen Archbishop of Sulthey Archbishop of Limmes Archbishop of Rhise
Art and Music	Church music Illuminated manuscripts Architecture

Saint Peter's Cathedral Priory, commonly known as Lendert Cathedral Priory, is a priory of the Church of Nortend in the capital city of Lendert-with-Cadell. Its formal name is the Ecclesia Cathedralis et Prioratus Sancti Petri et Sancti Blasii Lendartoniensis or the Cathedral and Priory Church of Saint Peter and Saint Blaise at Lendert. Lendert Cathedral Priory along with Scode Cathedral Priory are the only extant examples of cathedral priories in Great Nortend after the secularisation of the other three such foundations at Sulthey, Staithway and Echester. The Priory Church which is also the seat of the Lord Bishop of Lendert, bishop of the Diocese of Lendert and Cadell, is dedicated to St Peter the Apostle and St Blaise. As a Benedictine monastic cathedral, the Priory's chapter serves as the bishop's chapter, whilst the Lord Bishop of Lendert is also the titular Lord Abbot of Lendert.

History

Abbey

The church was founded as a Benedictine abbey in 800 by Æthelfrey after the death of his father, Hartmold the Great, who was the first Christian king of Nortend. Originally a small house, by 977, records shew that there were forty monks at the Abbey, which had its own daughter priory at Galwick. The increase in population, assisted by generous grants by kings of the House of Mure necessitated expansion and rebuilding of the monastic buildings. This began in 930 under the abbot Geselwin after funds were secured from the increasing number of pilgrims to the shrine of St. Blaise, whose relics had passed into the Abbey's possession.

With the new buildings yet unfinished, in 1094, Lendert was besieged by invading forces from Lorecia which severely damaged the abbey buildings and destroyed the nearly completed nave, though the monk's quire and chancel remained mostly intact. The rebuilding of Lendert and Cadell brought skilled stonemasons to the city, who practised in the new Gothic style. Subsequently, when the entire abbey church was rebuilt beginning in 1111, it was mostly in this new Gothic style. The rebuild was finally completed in 1272

Elevation to Cathedral

With the increasing wealth and population of Lendert, the Royal Court settled down permanently in Lendert in the early 13th century. Desiring a cathedral in his capital, Eltbold appointed the abbot, Edward de Groive, as Bishop of Lendert in 1284, elevating the Abbey temporalities and spiritualities into that of a bishopric by his charter. Though the diocese soon became known as the Diocese of Lendert and Cadell, the Bishop of Lendert never became Bishop of Lendart and Cadell for unknown reasons.

Edward de Groive and the several bishops after him were monks of the Abbey and thus even as Bishop of Lendert, considered themselves the head of the Abbey and used the title of Abbot in that capacity. By the time Thomas de Darton was Lord Bishop in 1402 at the latest, it had become usual for the prior to take the place as de facto head of the priory, rather than merely the bishop-abbot's deputy, although even in 1393 when the house established West College at the University of Aldesey, the community was described as a Priory and not an Abbey. The change meant that the monks voted for their prior, rather than have the bishop-abbot appoint a prior. Nonetheless, at their installation, the Bishops of Lendert are still enthroned in the Chapter House as Abbot of Lendert by the Prior.

Schism

See also: Church of Nortend § The Great Schism

In 1614, Alexander I renounced papal authority in Great Nortend, and declared the Church in Nortend an independent church, for the Bishop of Rome „hath no jurisdiction, temporal or spiritual in our Realm”. Daily life at the Cathedral Priory carried on as usual; however, in 1668 the Duke of Cardenbridge's Act was passed which required all religious office holders to assent to an Oath of Supremacy forsaking the Bishop of Rome's „usurped powers”. The Chapter threatened to refuse to sign and declare assent to the Oath of Supremacy. However, the Prior, John de Robesthorp did, allegedly in the interests of the Priory and the monks. Nevertheless, he translated his vow of stability to Curching Abbey after he was elected Abbot there in 1674 after several tense years. The Sub-Prior of Lendert followed and was made Prior.

William I subsequently refused to grant his writ of priore eligendo to permit the Chapter to proceed to an election to elect a new Prior. The priory was vacant for three years, and in 1677, the Bishop of Lendert exercised his apparent power as Abbot of Lendert to appoint Guilliam Molsey as Prior. Molsey implemented some minor reforms to the monastic office during his tenure; however, he vigorously defended the privileges and rights of the Priory against the bishopric.

Reform

In 1711, the statute of Quia solliciti was assented to by Edmund VI which imposed new English liturgical books on the Church. As a monastic house, this did not apply to the Priory. While the three other main cathedral priories at Sulthey, Staithway and Echester became secular cathedrals with a Provost, Dean and Chapter, Lendert and Scode remained religious houses and continued to celebrate Divine Service in Latin according to the new books.

By 1715, the Lord High Treasurer remarked that the „monks of the Priory sang the new Offices goodly”. This was attributed to the greatly reduced burthen the new offices imposed, halving the number of offices daily to four from eight, and simplifying and shortening them considerably. Some, however, regretted the reduction in Divine Service; Dean Walter Maddle, an elderly choir monk, said in 1720 that „we have become monks colder than lukewarm”.

In 1737, Mary passed the statute of In reformatione, which suspended the entrance of novices to all religious houses, including Lendert Priory. The Priory School, however, continued to teach prospective novices. In 1742, after her marriage to the Count of Scode, the suspension was revoked, and ten monks were professed in that very year, marking the revival in the fortunes of the Priory, whose numbers had dwindled to only twelve elderly monks.

Modern Era

During the 1860s, the west end and quire of the Priory Church was completely re-roofed owing to dry rot of the roof beams, as well as the degradation of the copper roof. Subsidence on the side of St. Peter's Churchyard required extensive remedial works, including the building up of foundations and erection of two additional flying buttresses. New stained glass windows were installed in the nave in 1933 to commemorate the Great Astyrian War to replace several which had been damaged over the centuries, the old windows being restored and installed in the clerestorey of the quire.

As the cathedral of the capital city, Lendert Cathedral Priory continues as the site of numerous royal, public and civic ceremonies, especially the funerals of noblemen and statesmen, and celebrations of jubilees, national thanksgivings, and national memorial services. These services are normally celebrated in English.

Architecture

Screen and Organ

The Cathedral Church has a combined rood screen and choir screen, as in common in many southern monastic churches, forming one continuous rood loft, upon which the Rood is erected. It is flanked by figures of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. There is a rood altar located at the base of the rood, upon the rood loft.

The Cathedral has two organs. The older Fenvitt Organ, donated by the Count of Fenvitt, is located under the north arch of the transept whilst the 20th century State Organ is located in the Lady Chapel.

Nave and Transepts

The north transept of the Cathedral.

Chapels

Masses and Offices of the Lady are sung daily in the Lady Chapel.

The Carolian Lady Chapel was completed in 1433 as the bequest of Charles I as an enlargement of the earlier lady chapel, situated at the eastern end of the chancel, behind the reredos of the High Altar. Six boys and four monks weekly are assigned to sing on rotation from the main choir at the Lady Chapel. Daily Lady Masses in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary are offered in the Lady Chapel, as well as the Offices of the Lady.

Location on the southern side of the chancel is the chapel and shrine of St. Blaise where relics of the 4th century saint were deposited during the rebuilding of the Abbey. There are also chapels dedicated to the Holy Trinity, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist, St. Michael, St. Andrew, St. Lawrence, St. Lucy, St. Benedict, and St. Silvester.

Foundation

The Priory is a Benedictine religious house consisting of the Prior and the Chapter of up to forty monks. In 2020, there were 33 monks and 12 brothers, who are those religious who are yet to be professed. The incumbent of the Cathedral Priory is the Prior, who with the Chapter (excluding the brothers) acts as its governing corporate body. Subordinate to the Prior is the Subprior, head of the chapter of deans, as well as the other departmental obediencers (who are also deans), including the the Precentor, the Sacristan, the Cellarer and Porter, and the other monks. Additionally, there are eighteen boys in the choir, who attend the Cathedral Priory School, and a number of singing clerks.

The Cathedral Priory is also the seat of the Lord Bishop of Lendert, who holds the nearby cardinalate of St. John the Baptist, Orse Street, in commendam. He has his cathedra in the Quire of the Abbey with jurisdiction over the Priory as Ordinary of the diocese. The Bishop also has jurisdiction as the Priory's titular Abbot. As Abbot, he formally invests a new Prior with his temporalities and spiritualities whilst sitting in his throne in the Chapter House. Conversely, the Prior and Chapter have the theoretical right to elect the Bishop of Lendert, although in practice the King does not give them an option.

Divine Service

See also: Nortish Rite

The daily liturgies of the Cathedral are served by the Priory and Chapter, and are conducted according to the Nortish Rite of the Church of Nortend in Latin. Members of the public are allowed access to the Cathedral throughout the day and during divine service. However, as in all Nortish churches, they are not normally allowed to pass the Pulpitum and Rood Screen and enter the Quire or Chancel, or pass the altar rails of chapels and side-altars.

Hours

In the main quire, the hours of Mattins and Vespers are sung daily by the full quire of monks, boys and singing clerks. Prime and Compline are sung by the monks only, except on certain holy days when the clerks and boys may also sing.

Masses

Throughout the morning, after Mattins and until the High Mass, there are a number of of low masses at the various chapels and side-altars around the Cathedral said by the monks and chaplains. Many of these are Masses of the Dead, chaunted in accordance with mediaeval and more modern endowments and legacies for chauntries. The earliest mass is the Morrow Mass, which is of the day. Otherwise, there may be masses said for various intentions depending on the day and priest, such as of the Holy Trinity, of the Holy Ghost, of St. Peter, of St. Blaise, for the King &c. Most masses are said in Latin, although English masses are also said.

The conventual High Mass normally occurs at noon, and is sung with the full choir. This occurs at the High Altar, sung by the Upper Hebdomadary, whilst simultaneously at the Rood Altar, a Low Mass is said by the Lower Hebdomadary before the Rood Screen, in time with the High Mass. Communicants in the nave receive the pax and communion at the altar rail of the Rood Altar.

In the Lady Chapel, a Lady Mass is sung daily.