The first church at HexhamHexham St Wilfrid founded an abbey here in Northumbria in 674 dedicated to St Andrew. After the Norman Conquest it was re-established as an Augustinian Priory. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church was retained as a parish church. The crypt built by St Wilfrid survives was built in c.675 on the orders of St Wilfrid, BishopBishop Bishops exercised pastoral care over a diocese and authority to confirm and ordain of YorkYork 1. A Roman city and early centre of Christianity. 2. Diocese and province under the leadership of the Archbishop of York., and was one of the most beautiful and richly-decorated churches in England. From 681 to 821 it was the cathedralCathedral (Latin cathedra' throne') Church which contains the throne of the bishop and hence the mother church of the diocese of the Bishop of Hexham. The cryptCrypt From the Greek kryptós meaning 'hidden' it formed the lower part of the church, where it was often used for burials. of this early churchEarly Church Usually applied to the first three centuries of the development of Christianity from the Crucifixion of Christ to c. 325 (the Council of Nicea). survives under the current one, as does some high-quality sculpture including the 8th century ‘Acca’s Cross’, the ‘frith-stool’ which may have been the bishop’s throne, a crucifixion scene, and many fragments of carved stone re-used as building material throughout the church. Several important pieces of early carving from the church are now in DurhamDurham Durham Cathedral has its origins in the small church built in 995 to protect the relics of St Cuthbert. A century later, construction began on the church of the Benedictine Abbey, and Cuthbert's remains were transferred there and placed in a shrine in 1104. In 1242 the bones of Cuthbert were once again moved, this time to a shrine near the entrance of the Chapel of the Nine Altars. Cathedral. The church was destroyed by a VikingViking Customarily refers to the Scandinavian explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, and settled in wide areas of Europe and the North Atlantic islands from the late eighth to the mid-eleventh century.There is some debate over the meaning of this word, which is attested but rarely used in the early medieval period. It was revived as a term in Scandinavian languages in the 17th century and in English in the early 19th. In contemporary sources it refers to a raider or pirate, often in association with ships and predatory activity. Some modern scholars try to keep to this restricted definition; others are happy with a wider range of meaning, applying the word to Scandinavians and their culture from approximately 790 to the mid or late 11th century, especially outside the Scandinavian homelands. raid in 876, and lay in ruins until the mid-11th century when it was rebuilt. The current church dates from the 12th century when a monasteryMonastery The house of a religious community was founded on the site.
References: Taylor and Taylor, Anglo-Saxon Architecture, vol. 1, pp. 297-312.