Sunderland Minster

Sunderland Minster stands on the south bank of the River Wear in what is now a suburb of Sunderland. It began as a stone church built shortly after 940 AD and was known for centuries as Bishopwearmouth Parish Church. The present building is largely a 20th-century reconstruction after colliery subsidence, yet parts of the older church survive. In 1998 it became Sunderland Minster after the town gained city status, and in 2007 it was rededicated to include St Benedict Biscop. The Minster is a Grade II* listed building. The Minster has served the city in many ways. For most of its history it hosted parish duties and special services such as remembrance events. It provided chaplaincies for retail and industrial workers in the city centre and supported the university chaplaincy. In 2007 its parish role ended and these functions moved to other churches, but the Minster continues to hold city-wide worship events. It describes itself as ‘A church for the whole City’. Inside, the Minster offers a spacious nave and areas that recall its earlier centuries. Visitors find Saxon stones built into the walls, remnants of the original church. The modern reconstruction uses surviving medieval fabric where possible. The building remains a landmark in the area, standing where a church has existed for more than a thousand years.