In daily use for 900 years
The Quire is the heart of the Cathedral, where worship has been offered to God every day for more than 900 years.
The finely carved wooden stalls date from the 1660s and are carved in the style of Bishop Cosin, whose name is associated with a local Durham style of carving that uses designs based on fruit.
The Cathedra
The Bishop’s Throne is known as the Cathedra. A Cathedral is so named because it houses a bishop’s throne.
When a priest is made a bishop there is a special ceremony where the bishop sits on the Cathedra. The Bishop of Durham also has a stall in the Quire, close to the chancel screen, which is used for other services.
The highest throne in Christendom?
The Cathedra at Durham was built by Bishop Thomas Hatfield (1345 – 1381) with his tomb below it. At the time the Cathedra was claimed to be the highest in Christendom, a claim which continues to this day. The figure on this tomb was the only one in the cathedral to escape destruction during the Reformation.