In 672 Wilfrid brought stonemasons, plasterers and glaziers from France and Italy to build his great basilica, one of the first stone churches to be built in the north of England.

The church you see today is actually the fourth to have stood on this site. Because different parts of it have been built and rebuilt at different times, it contains a variety of architectural styles. The splendid Early English west front dates from 1220, while the transepts – combining rounded Norman arches with the (then) new pointed Gothic design – are an interesting example of late 12th century transitional architecture. Much of the nave was rebuilt in the Perpendicular style after the central tower collapsed in 1450. Work was halted, however, by the impact of the Reformation in the 1530s, which is why to this day there are half-finished pillars and mis-matched arches under the crossing.

Very little remains of Wilfrid's original church, apart from the ancient Saxon crypt – the oldest in the country. Wilfrid intended the crypt to represent Christ’s tomb, and he placed relics there for the veneration of the faithful. Today, pilgrims still come from near and far, as they have done since the 7th century, to pray in Wilfrid’s crypt.

1300 Years of Prayer and History