Saint Alban is Britain's first Christian martyr and his shrine within the Cathedral is a site of national pilgrimage. It is used as a place of prayer and meditation by visitors every day.

Like many of England's shrines, it was demolished at the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1872, fragments of the Purbeck marble pedestal were recovered and it was reconstructed. The second restoration was completed in 1993 and the shrine was rededicated in the presence of HM The Queen Mother in that year.

St Albans Cathedral has the most extensive set of medieval wall paintings surviving today in any of the greater English churches. The paintings date from the late 12th century up to the sixteenth century and were created to teach a largely illiterate population about the Christian faith, and to stimulate meditation. The paintings were hidden after the Reformation under whitewash but were rediscovered in 1862 and are well worth seeing first hand.

St Albans Cathedral is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain. The building's amazing mixture of architectural styles bears witness to the many centuries of its life, first as a monastic Abbey and now as a Cathedral. It is a building of contrast - visitors can see architectural styles from the Saxon period through to the great Victorian restoration and a 20th century Chapter house. Roman bricks are also evident in the fabric of the building - skillfully reused by the Normans.

At 85 metres, St Albans Cathedral has the longest nave in England. You can enjoy exploring the Norman and Early English architecture, as well as viewing the stunning wall paintings in the nave. The mid-fourteenth century stone rood screen is a rare survival - most such screens were removed during the Reformation.