St Edmundsbury Cathedral

Chapels of St Edmund and Transfiguration

The Facts

The St Edmund Chapel was part of Stephen Dykes Bower’s 1960s additions to the Cathedral. It contains a statue of St Edmund, given in 2007 by Lenny Goff, and a beautiful tapestry by Sybil Andrews, telling the story of the saint, including the Danes and a wolf. She began this work in 1930 but only completed it in 1975.

The striking reredos behind the altar was originally located in an earlier Lady Chapel, having been donated by Mr G Milner-Gibson Cullum. It dates from approx. 1550 and is of the ‘German school’. It depicts Jesus with a bird on his finger seated between his mother Mary and St Anne.

A Jubilee cross can also be found in the Chapel. It was given as a gift in 1964 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Diocese. The cross is hollow, made of copper strips plated with silver, surmounted by the Star of Bethlehem. The crown and arrows link to the story of St Edmund.

The neighbouring Chapel of the Transfiguration was built as part of the Millennium Project and was consecrated by Archbishop Rowan Williams in June 2009. It is simply furnished with a focus on ‘Crucifixion’, a sculpture by Dame Elisabeth Frink.

Both chapels are used for smaller services throughout the week.

Carved Edmund Close Up
Edmund Chapel Altar
Transfiguration Chapel Altar

Children’s Activities

Follow the story of St Edmund using our children’s leaflet download;

Did you know…?

  • Saint Edmund was once patron saint of England
  • Bury St Edmunds has a town motto ‘Shrine of the King, cradle of the Law’
  • Bury St Edmunds used to be a major centre of pilgrimage with thousands of pilgrims visiting Edmund’s shrine in the hopes of receiving healing
  • The gates to the St Edmund Chapel are a great example of recycling. The silver ‘diamonds’ were once the gratings for an underfloor heating system.

If you’d like a more in-depth tour, Cathedral Tours are available! Please speak to a welcomer to find out more details.