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MINSTER CHURCH OF ST. ANDREW |
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Legend
has it that permission to found was given by Ine King
of Wessex around 705. The first reference to this impressive
minster church is in a charter of 766 - "the minster
near the Great Spring at Wells." During the latest
excavations, the deep foundations of an apsidal (curved)
sanctuary with probably a crypt underneath were examined.
This apse disappears under the present east cloister.
Most of the minster church whose apse this was, lies
unexcavated, under the present cloisters and would have
fronted directly onto the market place. The original
Saxon chapel was much enlarged during the late Saxon
period but was still separate from the eastern end of
the minster. It was by then known as St. Mary's Chapel.
So it is possible to see that there was a direct linear
development from the holy well of St.Andrew at the eastern
end, through the St.Mary Chapel and the minster church,
to the market place and directly onto the High Street
to the west.
This was evidently a planned Anglo-Saxon town which
grew up because of the minster church. The plan lines
follow the topography of the area and are not a true
east - west alignment. What was most exciting was that
from the buildings and the direction of the tombs it
was clear that the Anglo-Saxon line was 12°off the
east-west line of the present cathedral.
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