Description:
AbstractRipon cathedral is unique among English cathedrals in having a seventh century crypt – the unaltered survival of the crypt built by St Wilfrid. Its original purpose has been much discussed, but what is not in doubt is that its inspiration came from Wilfrid's first journey to Rome where, as Stephen of Ripon tells us, he spent some months ‘visiting the saints’. This article will begin by re‐examining the political circumstances under which Wilfrid established his Roman foundation in Ripon since this, as will be shown, set up an agenda‐driven context which played into Wilfrid's own ecclesiastical aims. It will then re‐examine the evidence for his bringing of Rome to Ripon, paying particular attention to the precision of Stephen's language in the Vita Wilfridi which, it will be argued, can yield more information than previously recognised about the nature of Wilfrid's inspiration and the comprehensive scope of the statement he set out to make. The article will conclude with an overview of how the continuing presence of the crypt, as a place of pilgrimage and spiritual reflection, has shaped the multi‐faceted architectural legacy that is the cathedral we know today.