Fifth Of March Sees A First For Winchester Cathedral For Five Hundred Years

• Opening of the Fleury Building
• Installation of the Abbot of Fleury as an Honorary Canon

Notes on coverage, photocalls and historical information are at the bottom of this release.

On 5th March at 3.30pm, Winchester Cathedral will open the first permanent newly-built
addition in five hundred years, when the Dean of Winchester will invite the Abbot of Fleury, its linked monastery, to open the Fleury Building, a purpose-built extension to the Cathedral. At a service shortly afterwards (5.30pm), the Abbot of Fleury, from L’Abbaye de St-Benôit-sur-Loire in France, will be installed as an Honorary Ecumenical Canon of the Cathedral.

The new building will provide storage which will free up the North Transept - one of its unspoilt Norman areas which dates from the construction of the current Cathedral and was commenced in 1079. It also houses a new boiler and heating system and much-needed toilets within the Cathedral itself.

Mostly funded by the Friends of the Cathedral who celebrate their 80th Anniversary this year, the concept of the Fleury Building came into being some years ago; the foundations were laid almost a year ago after considerable archaeological study.

It is testament to the work and dedication of many people: amongst them the stonemasons who work tirelessly to maintain and adorn the beauty of this ancient building and the Friends of the Cathedral who contribute a great deal to the Cathedral’s life. It is also the last major work masterminded by Peter Bird, Cathedral Architect, who sadly passed away as it was in completion.

“A new building attached to the Cathedral is much more than a very useful and practical extension, it is evidence of the continuing growth and life of the Cathedral and its Community”, says The Very Revd James Atwell, who is Dean of Winchester. “Over the centuries the building and its community have adapted to the needs of a new generation and this continues in the present day. We are very grateful to the Friends whose generosity has made this development possible.”

The Installation of Abbot Etienne is another milestone in the Cathedral’s history and indicative of its vibrancy in the church today. Until recently Honorary Canons were drawn only from the Anglican Diocese of Winchester. The Abbot is the first of its Ecumenical Canons who bring its ministry closer to the work of the wider church locally, nationally and now internationally. Other Ecumenical Canons will be installed in the coming months.

The Cathedral’s origins are as a Benedictine monastery – Benedict being recognised as the father of Western monasticism - and although the Cathedral is no longer run by monks, Benedict’s values are at the heart of its ethos. The strength of the links between Fleury and Winchester are evident as the Cathedral and the Abbey pray for each other every day as part of the more recent rejuvenation of a relationship which stretches back a millennium (see notes below for more information on Winchester Cathedral and Fleury). There are also regular exchanges between the two communities – including three trips by the Cathedral choir. It is therefore wholly right that the first of these Honorary Canons should be linked to its earliest origins.

Dean James continues on the events of a very special day, “This is a moment of history. It is very exciting for us that the Abbot of Fleury will be our first Ecumenical Canon. Following on from the Pope’s visit nationally, it is evidence of the respect with which we hold one another and the acknowledgement of our shared journey of faith.”

Notes For Editors

• Coverage
• Historical Note on Winchester Cathedral and Fleury
• Biographical detail on Abbot Etienne

Coverage

1. The order of events will be as follows:
 3.30pm Opening of the Fleury Building
  (approx 30 mins)
 5.30pm Installation of the Abbot of Fleury as Honorary Ecumenical Canon
  (approx. 1hr 15)

2. It will be possible to cover the opening of the Fleury Building on the day, and an area  will be set aside for the media.

 There is no need for registration but it would be helpful to know if media are intending  to attend in advance. Access will be by the gates next to the car park of the Wessex  Hotel.

 To afford you a good view it would be advisable to wear ‘sensible shoes’ in case of  inclement weather.

3. As the schedule on the day will be very tight, there will be an opportunity for  interviews and some pre-record filming from 2pm on the day. It will also be possible  to organise some similar coverage on Friday 4th, but in both cases these will need to  be booked in advance by 12 midday on Thursday 3rd. Thank you.

Historical note on Winchester Cathedral and Fleury

The present link between Winchester Cathedral and the Abbey of Fleury at St-Benôit-sur-Loire (France) goes back to 1978, when the then Dean of Winchester, Michael Stancliffe, and the Abbot of Fleury decided that the Anglican Cathedral and the Benedictine Monastery should be united in prayer. Since that date each institution remembers the others in their daily prayers.

The Winchester prayer reads as follows and is said every day at Evensong, the afternoon/Evening service.

 God bless this Cathedral Church, the Diocese of Winchester, the Benedictine  Community of Fleury and the whole church of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The link is the renewal of an ancient relationship. The monastery church on the banks of the Loire houses the relics of St Benedict, founder of western monasticism, whose bones had been brought from the Monte Cassino in around 650. In the tenth century Fleury was one of the centres of a reform movement which sought to return to the simpler monastic life that Benedict had preached and these reforms were promoted in England at the same time. The centre of reform was Winchester Cathedral and, in 973, scholars were brought from Fleury to assist in the drawing up of a new Rule for Benedictine monasticism in England, the Regularis Concordia. Thus, Fleury may be regarded as the cradle of monastic life that flourished in Winchester until St Swithun’s Priory (as it was then called) was dissolved under Henry VIII.

                       Dr John Crook

Biographical detail on Abbot Etienne

Abbot Etienne (Ricaud) was born in 1949, the 4th child in a family of 7. He Schooled with the Marist Brothers, then did a Masters degree at the Sorbonne in Paris, after which he entered the Abbey of Fleury in 1972 and took his Vows in 1973. He went to an Abbey in Togo to do National Service and returned there for a further 2 years in the early 80s to set up a secondary education establishment for young monks. Having taken a degree in Biblical Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained Priest in 1985, and too a further course in Canon Law at the Catholic Institute in Paris before being elected Abbot of Fleury in 1991. He was President of the Monastic Conference of France 1995-2001, and is currently President of the Inter-Monastery Theological Conference.

Cathedral Press Office
Telephone: 01962 857 217 / 07968 549 628
pressoffice@winchester-cathedral.org.uk
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