Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral, or Lincoln Minster as it is also known, dates from 1072 when William the Conqueror instructed that the bishopric of this, then the largest diocese in England (covering the lands between the river Thames and the Humber), be moved from Dorchester, near Oxford, to Lincoln, where he had already established a castle in the old Roman upper city. The first Norman Bishop of Lincoln, Remigius had previously been a Benedictine monk, and a loyal supporter of William at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The cathedral was finally consecrated in 1092. It has dominated the skyline of Lincoln since then and is a prominent landmark from many parts of Lincolnshire. Much of this original Norman Cathedral was damaged by a fire in around 1141, at the time of the civil war between Stephen and Mathilda. Alexander "the Magnificent" (Bishop 1123-48) managed to partially restore it using the most advanced architectural style of his era. His contributions include commssioning the famous 12th century Romanesque frieze on the West Front.