Bishopric moves from Selsey to Chichester

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In 1075, the Norman bishop Stigand moved the seat of the diocese from Selsey to Chichester, beginning the construction of the cathedral that remains the mother church of the diocese today. The move was in accordance with the Norman policy of placing bishoprics in larger towns. The cathedral was built over the following decades in the Romanesque style, and has been enlarged, damaged, and rebuilt several times since. The move to Chichester established the city as an ecclesiastical centre and began a relationship between the cathedral and the community that has lasted nearly a thousand years.