Sunday 9 September 2018

Sunday Snap – St. Wilfred

We were at the Cistercian Monastery for last week's Sunday Snap. I asked the name of it and the answer is

Fountains Abbey

Taking their vows with the right answer were Soma and Lisa.

This week we are taking a short trip from Fountains Abbey to the nearest city. The dominating feature of the city is the cathedral. It was originally founded as a monastery in the 660s but was refounded in 672 as the first Benedictine monastery in the country by Wilfred. Wilfred dedicated this church to St. Peter. The current church is the fourth that has stood on this site. In 948 Wilfred's building was destroyed by the English king Eadred. Only the crypt survived and today visitors can still go down to it. Another church was quickly built but this again was torn down in 1069 by William the Conqueror. The current building was established in the 12th century. Today the cathedral is dedicated to both St. Peter and St. Wilfred.

Although at times a controversial figure Wilfred was soon venerated as a saint after his death in around 710. During his lifetime he toured the country converting pagan communities into Christian ones. His influence was such that he was the spokesman for advocating the use of the Roman method for calculating the date of Easter at the Synod of Whitby in 664. In 1108 a charter was granted to the city to hold a fair to mark the birth of St. Wilfred on 30th July. This tradition still continues to this day on a Saturday in either late July or early August. There is a procession around the market which is headed up with representatives from the cathedral and one actor dressed as St. Wilfred on a horse. Local cafés and bakeries bake Wilfra Tarts on the day which is an apple and Wensleydale cheese pie. This week's question is

What is the name of the city?

We were joined last week by Susan with hearts and skipping. A trip to the Sierra Mountains for Soma saw some spectacular weather changes. Sara's favourite things this week have been apricot roses, haze from the wildfires reflected in a pool and the Gifford Pinchot National Park in Washington. In Hastings Cheryl spotted a seagull with catch of the day. It's been beach time for Anne on holiday. At the Bournemouth Air Show Kara saw the Red Arrows and a flight in a gravity suit. Lisa has been recalling her visit to the Rock Paper Scissors exhibition. Finally, Jesh has taken a trip down to the harbour.

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Sunday Snap

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5 comments:

  1. I’m not sure where that is, but it’s a lovely capture and very interesting history x

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  2. I have no idea but fab picture

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  3. OH dear, I'm in the dark about this one too. I know of St Wilfred as I've seen schools which carry the name, but this is the first time I've learned anything about him. Very interesting story, thanks for sharing and thanks for hosting SundaySnap x

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  4. I had to go and investigate Wilfra tarts, which told me that it is in Ripon :)

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