ABSTRACT
Cathedrals which were also monasteries existed in nine dioceses. Two other cathedrals (Bath and Coventry) were monastic, and were joined by two secular cathedrals (Wells and Lichfield). Whilst monastic cathedrals were common in England, elsewhere in Europe such an arrangement was very rare.The bishop took the place of the abbot and ruled both the cathedral monastery and the diocese. Cathedral monasteries were first created in the Anglo-Saxon period and then spread after the Conquest.
