"Thirteen men, feeble and so reduced in strength that they
can scarcely, or not at all, support themselves without other
aid, shall remain in the same Hospital constantly: to whom
necessary clothing, provided by the Prior of the establishment,
shall be given, and beds fit for their infirmities: and daily a
good loaf of wheaten bread of the weight of five measures,
three dishes at dinner, and one for supper, and drink of
sufficient quantity...

And besides those thirteen poor men, one hundred other poor
persons, as deserving as can be found and more indigent, shall
be received at the hour of dinner..."THE CHARTER Of FOUNDATION

Legend has it that the Hospital's foundation originated in a walk Henry de Blois, a grandson of William the Conqueror, took in the itchen Meadows. He was stopped by a young girt with a pail of milk on her head and a child in her arms. She begged de Blois to help her people, who were starving because of the civil war. The parallel to the Virgin Mary was not lost on de Blois who was so moved by the girl's plight that when, a little further along the river, he discovered the ruins of a religious house destroyed by the Danes, he resolved to use the site to establish a new community to help the poor.

How much of this is fact is unclear, but we do know that Henry de Blois was young, wealthy and powerful; a monk, knight and politician in one. Appointed Bishop of Winchester in 1129 at the age of 28, he founded the Hospital of St Cross between 1132 and 1136, creating what has become Britain's oldest charitable institution with, surely, the most handsome group of medieval buildings still in use. Yet the Hospital is far more than a
part of our national heritage, it is a living community which offers a home and haven to elderly gentlemen.

THE CHURCH
The fine Transitional Norman Church is all that remains of the original Hospital. Building began in 1155 at the east end with the north porch added nearly 200 years later. The walls are over one metre thick and built from stone brought from as far afield as Caen, in France, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, as well as some flint taken from local chalk pits.

In the church, at the window nearest the crossing on the eastern side of the north transept, the stone surround is strangely angled. On a pillar on the north aisle is the cross of St. Cross. Sunlight from the window falls on the cross only on 3rd May, the day
in the church calendar of the Invention of the Cross, and 14th September, Holy Cross Day.

The Brethren's Hall , is where the Brothers gathered and ate for several centuries.
Almost all of the original features can be seen today, the central hearth where a charcoal
fire used to burn, the stairs leading from the Master's, lodging, the raised platform where he took his meals at the fine musician's gallery above the entrance.

THE CHURCH OF ST CROSS HISTORY

THE WAYFARERS DOLE The Hospital of St Cross is famous worldwide for its unique and ancient tradition of the Wayfarer's Dole. The founder of this tradition was a Cluniac monk whose order always gave bread and wine to travellers at a time when St. Cross stood on an important east-west route for merchants and pilgrims. Today's Dole, a drink of beer and some bread, has come to reflect this custom. It is still given at the Porter's Gate to visitors who request it. photograph by William Heller and City of Winchester Tourism

IMAGES OF ST CROSS

The Main Entrance		The entrance sign
Looking from the main entrance to the porters lodge		A cart that was used to carry firewood to the Bretherens quarters c 1870
The Bretherens quarters		Looking back to the main entrance, the doorway on the left leads to the kitchen and  Bretherens Hall
A view of the main building		Cloisters that separate the main square from the gardens
The Muscians gallery		The stairs leading to the Masters Lodgings the raised platform is where he dined.
The hearth in the Bretherens Hall		Buckets hanging below the musicians gallery, note the shield on the beam
The Kitchen
The Cellar		Shelves in the kitchen holding plates
The Church of		a stairway to nowhere!
The ornate floors showing some of the memorial stones		The font
The interior of the church
The Cross of St Cross		An ornate stained glass window