The cathedral with a square east end

For ages, the design of Gundulf's church has been the subject of academic debate, especially regarding its east end. A 2014 archaeological excavation of the crypt provided the answers, finding that the Norman cathedral featured a square east end from which projected a small structure, interpreted as a shrine chapel. This lack of an apse was very unusual in Norman architecture, though the rounded apse would later become standard in English Gothic architecture.

Gundulf, the first Norman bishop of Rochester, was appointed in 1077 after the cathedral and its lands were restored to the bishop following the fall of Odo of Bayeux. A talented architect, Gundulf played a major part in the design and works he commissioned, receiving financial support from Lanfranc, the Archbishop of Canterbury. He began construction of a new cathedral around 1080 to replace the old Anglo-Saxon church, starting with the north-east tower which bears his name today.

While the nave was designed to be nine bays long, Gundulf completed most of the south side but only five bays to the north. It has been speculated that he left the citizens to complete the parochial nave of the building. In addition to the fabric of the cathedral, Gundulf replaced the secular chaplains with Benedictine monks and founded St Bartholomew's Hospital just outside the city in 1078.

Rochester Cathedral remains the seat of the Bishop of Rochester and is the second oldest bishopric in England after that of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Visitors can still see the marks on the floor of the current cathedral indicating the apse of the original Anglo-Saxon church, which was built on the site of the predecessor.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons