Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual role as cathedral and college chapel is unique in the Church of England. This gives the Dean of Christ Church a distinctive role as both head of Christ Church, Oxford as well as having the ecclesiastical function of an Anglican Dean.

History
The cathedral was originally the church of St Frideswide's Priory. The site was historically presumed to be the location of the nunnery founded by St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford, and the shrine is now in the Latin Chapel; originally containing relics translated at the rebuilding in 1180, it was the focus of pilgrimage from at least the 12th until the early 16th century.

In 1522, the priory was surrendered to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who had selected it as the site for his proposed college. However, in 1529 the foundation was taken over by Henry VIII. Work stopped, but in June 1532 the college was refounded by the King. In 1546, Henry VIII transferred to it the recently created See of Oxford from Osney. The cathedral has the name of Ecclesia Christi Cathedralis Oxoniensis, given to it by Henry VIII's foundation charter.

There has been a choir at the cathedral since 1526, when John Taverner was the organist and also master of the choristers. The statutes of Wolsey's original college, initially called Cardinal College, mentioned 16 choristers and 30 singing priests.

Christ Church Cathedral is one of the smallest cathedrals in the Church of England.

The nave, choir, main tower and transepts are late Norman. There are architectural features ranging from Norman to the Perpendicular style and a large rose window of the ten-part (i.e., botanical) type.

John Wesley and Charles Wesley, leaders of the Methodist revival, were ordained at Christ Church Cathedral when they were Anglicans.

Dean and chapter
As of 19 October 2023:
 * Dean – Sarah Foot (since 1 July 2023 collation)
 * Archdeacon of Oxford– Jonathan Chaffey (since 1 May 2020 collation)
 * Sub-Dean- Peter Moger
 * Diocesan canon – Sally Welch (from summer 2022)
 * Precentor- Philippa White

The university's four senior theology professors are also ex officio canons residentiary:
 * Regius Professor of Divinity – Graham Ward (since 2012)
 * Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity – Carol Harrison (lay; since 27 April 2015 installation)
 * Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology – vacant
 * Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History – vacant

There are also other full-time clergy of the cathedral and college, including the college chaplain, school chaplain and precentor.

On 19 September 2023, the governing body of Christ Church voted to separate the ecclesiastical role of Dean from the position of Head of House of the College.

Organ
The organ is a 43-rank, four-manual and pedal instrument built in 1979 by Austrian firm Rieger Orgelbau.

Organists
First among the notable organists of Christ Church Cathedral is the Renaissance composer John Taverner, who was appointed as the first organist by Wolsey in 1526. Other organists (and directors of the choir) have included Basil Harwood, Thomas Armstrong, W. H. Harris, Simon Preston, Francis Grier, Nicholas Cleobury and Stephen Darlington. The post of organist is currently held by Steven Grahl. (As in many English cathedrals, the organist is also director of the choir and much of the organ playing is delegated to the sub-organist or organ scholar.)

Choirs
The main choir, the Christ Church Cathedral Choir, is directed by Steven Grahl and consists of twelve adults (six professional "lay-clerks" and six student "academical clerks") and sixteen choristers (boys aged 7–13 from Christ Church Cathedral School). The choir was all male until 2019, when they welcomed alto Elizabeth Nurse as its first female clerk. They sing in university term time, at Christmas and Easter, and have an extensive touring and recording programme. Former choristers include the composer William Walton.



The Cathedral Singers consists of volunteers and is currently directed by Hilary Punnett. They are usually in residence outside of term time when the choristers and academical clerks of the main choir are on holiday.

The College Choir sings every 1–2 weeks in term time and is made up of current undergraduates and postgraduates from the college.

Since September 2019, the cathedral has also had a choir for girls aged 7–14 called Frideswide Voices. The choristers are drawn from schools around Oxford, and sing Evensong once a week. The choir is directed by Helen Smee.

Bells
The cathedral has a ring of 12 bells hung for full circle ringing. The tenor weighs, diameter 56 in tuned to D. It was cast in 1589 and is historically important according to the Church Buildings Council. Two other bells are also historically important, numbers 10 and 9 ( in F♯ and in G respectively) which were both cast c. 1410.

As well as the bells used for ringing there are also two other bells. The litany bell of c. 1410 is also historically important. It weighs and sounds the note of G.  The Bourdon bell is Great Tom. This dates from 1680, weighs, diameter 85 in sounding A. Great Tom is only swung "on a very small number of occasions", but it is sounded every night.

Notable burials

 * John Bankes (1589–1644), English lawyer and politician
 * Robert Burton, author The Anatomy of Melancholy
 * George Berkeley, philosopher and Bishop of Cloyne (memorial in the nave)
 * Sir Thomas Byron, Royalist officer in the First English Civil War
 * John Fell, Bishop of Oxford
 * Henry Gage (1593–1645) (buried in the Lucy Chapel, off the south transept)
 * Richard Gardiner (1591–1670)
 * Henry Liddell, father of Alice Liddell
 * Lady Elizabeth Montacute (d. August 1354)
 * Edward Bouverie Pusey
 * George Stewart, 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny, cavalier
 * Thomas Strong, Bishop of Oxford
 * John Underhill (c.1545–1592), Bishop of Oxford
 * John Urry, literary editor
 * Peter Wyche, ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and member of the Privy Council

Although buried at High Laver in Essex, the church has an engraved floor memorial plaque to the philosopher John Locke.