The Architectural Antecedents of Wilfrid’s Basilica and Crypt

Ripon Cathedral Wilfrid Lectures

In Memory of Wilfrid

Canon Professor Joyce Hill is offering us two further lectures this year as part of our Patronal Festival celebrations. Each, in its different way, focuses on how we remember Wilfrid.

Thursday 24 September 2026 at 7.30, in the Cathedral Quire

The Architectural Antecedents of Wilfrid’s Basilica and Crypt

Our crypt, which is a living memory of Wilfrid, was constructed as part of his basilica. We know that he was following models he had seen on his first journey to Rome. But what is a ‘basilica’?  Where did the architectural concept come from originally? And why did church builders adopt it?