St Albans Cathedral & Abbey

• Celebrates one of the largest English cathedral churches; a rare survivor of the early Norman period when it was built as an abbey
• Illuminates not only the building and its history but the story of St Alban and the active congregation that still commemorates him today

St Albans Abbey is one of Britain’s earliest Christian foundations and commemorates Britain’s first Christian martyr, the Romano-British saint Alban. For more than 1,700 years people have gathered and worshipped on this site. The building is one of the largest English cathedral churches; a rare survivor of the early Norman period when it was built as an abbey.

This lavishly illustrated book tells the story of the Abbey from Alban to the present; from the earliest evidence of Romano-British Christianity to the imposing and much-loved building that we see today, which was raised to cathedral status in 1877. The text, written by experts in their fields, illuminates not only the building and its history but the story of St Alban and the active congregation that still commemorates him today.

Professor Martin Biddle FBA, is the Cathedral Archaeological Consultant and a member of the Fabric Advisory Committee. With his wife Magister Birthe, he has directed all archaeological excavations at St Alban’s Abbey since 1978.