Peterborough Cathedral is dedicated to the city of St. Peter, Paul and Andrew. It is made in the Roman-Norman architecture. Construction of the cathedral took over a hundred years, and came with a 1118 by 1237, making this cathedral one of the few buildings of the XII century, preserved to this day in almost pristine form. Especially interesting is the western facade of the cathedral, designed in early Gothic style and is unparalleled. It consists of three huge arches, the two towers of the cathedral remained unfinished, and therefore they are only visible from a distance. Because of this Cathedral in Peterborough seems slightly asymmetrical.

From the year 655 on the site of the modern cathedral convent, which was destroyed during the Viking raids in 864-870 years. In the chapel of the Virgin Mary kept the ancient stone Hedda - martyr and former abbot of the monastery. On the stone are carved images of 12 monks who have died at the hands of the Vikings.

In the middle of the X century the revival of monasteries, and in 966 in Peterborough was built the Benedictine monastery, the main church is - St. Peter - and gave the name of the sprawling around the city. This St. Peter existed before the fire in 1116. Fragments of the elements of the old cathedral, made more in the Anglo-Saxon style, were found during excavations at the south transept. At the monastery were also found gravestones dating back to the XI century.

The building is modern cathedral was completed in 1193, and between 1230 and 1250 years was painted wooden ceiling - unique in the whole of England and one of the four executed in a similar style in general in Europe. He painted over twice - in 1745 and 1834, respectively, but were able to save. In 1237 it was completed the west transept and western facade, made in the Gothic style, while the rest of the cathedral belongs to the Roman-Norman style. Further work - reconstruction of the Romanesque tower in the style of decorative Gothic in the years 1350-1380 and the addition of Gothic windows - do not change the basic picture. At the turn of the XVI and XVII centuries it was rebuilt the roof of the presbytery, and the eastern apse was attached so-called new rectangular building.

The monastery of the city of Peterborough was the sixth richest monastery in England before the Reformation, there were more than 120 monks. He is also famous for its reliquary - in it the relics of Saints Peter, Paul and Andrew, clothing, baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary, the hand of St. Oswald, King of Northumbria, as well as the remains of St. Thomas a Becket, delivered Prior Benedict witnessed his murder. Unfortunately, all the relics were lost as a result of the dissolution of the monastery in 1541. It preserved only the Cathedral, which became the center of the diocese and the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough.

In Peterborough Cathedral buried the first wife of King Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon, while on her tombstone engraved "Catherine, Queen of England," although after the divorce with Henry it until his death was deprived of the royal title. Here in 1587 immediately after the penalty was buried Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and only in 1612 on the orders of her son, King James I of England, her body was reburied in Westminster Abbey.

In 1643, at the height of the Civil War, the cathedral was sacked by the parliamentary forces - the stained glass windows were broken, ruined medieval choirs, damaged the altar. In 1883, the beginning of a long restoration, during which were built anew choirs, main altar, built the chair, and a marble tiled floor.

November 22, 2001 burned plastic chairs at the northern altar. Despite the imminent arrival of firefighters, because acrid smoke and water splashing out of order for a long time the body.

In 2006 it began the restoration of the western facade of the cathedral and, in particular, sculptures of saints, placed on the front. The works have cost half a million pounds.