| Bishop of Chichester | |
|---|---|
| Bishopric | |
| Anglican | |
| Incumbent: John Hind |
|
| Province: | Canterbury |
| Diocese: | Chichester |
| Cathedral: | Chichester Cathedral |
| First Bishop: | Wilfrid |
| Formation: | 7th century |
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity. The current bishop is the Right Reverend John William Hind, BA, the 102nd Lord Bishop of Chichester, who signs John Cicestr. The Bishop's residence is The Palace, Chichester.
History
Christianity was introduced to the British Isles during the Roman occupation. When the Romans departed, there was waves of heathen invasions from Northern Europe, these were mainly Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Celtic Christianity was driven, with the Celts, into the remote western parts of the islands. The south of England was settled by Saxons. After the invasions had finished, Roman Missionaries evangilized the South East of England and Celtic Missionaries the rest of the British Isles.
Sussex remained steadfastly heathen until the arrival of Saint Wilfrid in 681AD. Wifrid built his cathedral church, in Selsey, and dedicated it to Saint Peter. The original structure would have largely been made of wood.The stones from the old cathedral would have been used in the later church. Some stonework discovered in a local garden wall was believed to have come from the palm cross that stood outside the original cathedral and are now integrated into the war memorial, that is in the perimeter wall outside church.
The cathedral was founded at Selsey on a site which is now probably submerged by the sea off the Sussex coast near Selsey. Selsey Abbey was the first seat of the South Saxon see. The seat was moved to Chichester in 1075 under William the Conqueror. In 1559 the last Roman Catholic bishop was deprived by Elizabeth I; the bishops since then have been Anglican.
See also
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