Rochester Cathedral

There has been Christian worship at Rochester for over 1,400 years. Founded in AD604, Rochester is the second oldest of England’s medieval cathedrals; the Nave provides the best sense of the Norman cathedral. The north transept is decorated with a magnificent new fresco depicting the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist as well as St Augustine’s baptism of King Ethelbert of Kent in around AD600. The Quire is where Rochester’s medieval monks worshipped every day and night and where daily Mattins and Evensong are sung today. The Crypt is largely built in the Early English Gothic style and is used for worship, socialising, exhibitions and education. Rochester is the cathedral that Charles Dickens wrote about in several of his books and a memorial is here in his honour.