St Edmundsbury Cathedral

For nearly 1,000 years the site of Suffolk's Cathedral has been one of worship and pilgrimage. The death of Edmund, King of the East Angles, at the hands of the Danes in 869 led to the building of an abbey to house the remains of the martyred monarch, who was soon regarded as a saint.

One church within the precincts of the Norman abbey was built by Abbot Anselm in the 12th century. He was thwarted in his hopes to make a pilgrimage to Santiago in Spain. Instead he built a church for pilgrims to the Abbey and dedicted it to St James. It also served the people of the town.

The nave of today's church, started in 1503, is the successor of that church. Little remains of the Benedictine Abbey, following the Dissolution in 1539.

St James' Church has continued to grow over the centuries. In 1914 St James' became the Cathedral church of the Diocese of Saint Edmundsbury and Ipswich, but it was not until after the Second World War that work could start on enlarging the building.

The last 40 years has seen several additions to the church as well as the building of the Cathedral Centre, which houses the Song School, the Refectory and meeting rooms.

2005 saw the completion of a new Gothic style lantern Tower, built of Barnack limstone, brick and flint. This work, together with new Chapels and Cloisters, has been achieved thanks to the generosity of the Dykes Bower Trustees, the Millennium Commission and many local benefactors.

Principal Services:
Sunday: 8.00am Holy Communion, 10,00am Sung Eucharist, 11.30am Choral Matins, 3.30pm Choral Evensong.
Daily: 1.00pm Holy Communion (Wednesday & Feast days), 5.30pm Evensong.

General Information: