Newcastle Cathedral
| St Nicholas Cathedral | |
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| Cathedral Church of St Nicholas | |
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 St Nicholas Cathedral
Shown within Tyne and Wear
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| Coordinates: 54°58′12″N 1°36′40″W / 54.97000°N 1.61111°W | |
| Location | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Tradition | High Church |
| Website | stnicholascathedral.co.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | English Gothic |
| Years built | c. 1080 – c. 1500 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1000 |
| Number of towers | One |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Newcastle (since 1882) |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Christine Hardman |
| Dean | Chris Dalliston |
| Canon(s) | John Sinclair, Evangelism Clare MacLaren, music and liturgy Steven Harvey, education |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Ian Roberts |
| Organist(s) | Kris Thomsett |
The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle, the most northerly diocese of the Anglican Church in England, which reaches from the River Tyne as far north as Berwick-upon-Tweed and as far west as Alston in Cumbria.
Founded in 1091 during the same period as the nearby castle, the Norman church was destroyed by fire in 1216 and the current building was completed in 1350, so is mostly of the Perpendicular style of the 14th century. Its tower is noted for its 15th-century lantern spire. Heavily restored in 1777, the building was raised to cathedral status in 1882, when it became known as the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas.
The cathedral is named after St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and boats. This may reflect the cathedral's position on the northern heights above the River Tyne. It was originally a parish church, built in 1091. It was built close to the line of Hadrian's Wall through Newcastle, which may have passed through the churchyard, but unfortunately the exact location of its line through the very centre of the city is currently lost. Close to the south of the cathedral is Newcastle Castle, which gave the city its name, and which was itself built on the site of the Hadrian's Wall fort of Pons Aelius. The Norman church was destroyed by fire in 1216 and the present structure was completed in 1350.
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Wikipedia