It originated with the establishment of a minster, Gloucester Abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter and founded by Osric, King of the Hwicce, in around 679.

The subsequent history of the church is complex; Osric's foundation came under the control of the Benedictine Order at the beginning of the 11th century and in around 1058, Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester, established a new abbey "a little further from the place where it had stood".

Serlo's efforts transformed the abbey's fortunes; rising revenues and royal patronage enabled the construction of a major church.

These include the Treasury, the Chapter House, the Cloisters, the precinct wall and a number of the medieval gates into the cathedral enclosure.

Monastic life flourished, and the possessions of the house increased, but after 767 it seems probable that the nuns dispersed during the confusion of civil strife in England.

[5] But the town retained its importance as a favoured royal seat; William celebrated Christmas there in 1085 when, in discussion with his Witan in the chapter house, he initiated the assembly of Domesday Book.

[10] His support, together with that of others such as Walter de Lacy and his wife,[b] enabled Serlo to embark on a major rebuilding, and between the laying of the foundation stone in 1089 and the abbey's re-consecration in 1100, work on the nave, the apse, the crypt and the chapter house was undertaken at speed[5] and on an "exceptional scale".

[12] St Peter's Abbey had long enjoyed important royal connections, from its foundation, then under the patronage of the Conqueror, and in October 1216 it was chosen as the venue for the coronation of Henry III, after the death of his father, King John.

The abbey reputedly benefitted from substantial gifts donated by those making pilgrimage to Edward's shrine, although this is disputed.

[16] St Peter's was unusual as a religious foundation in commissioning its own history, the Historia Monasterii Sancti Petri Gloucestriae.

Following abolition, Henry VIII created the new Diocese of Gloucester and on 3 September 1541,[22] the abbey church became its cathedral, with John Wakeman, last abbot of Tewkesbury, as its first bishop.

Although staunchly Royalist in its sympathies, the city, and the cathedral, escaped largely unscathed from the tumult of the English Civil War and plans for complete demolition formulated during the Commonwealth were not taken forward.

Counter to the approach sometimes adopted elsewhere in the Victorian era, the 19th century restorations at Gloucester, firstly by the local architects, Frederick S. Waller and Thomas Fulljames, and latterly by George Gilbert Scott, were "on the whole, very tactful" [see box].

[23][c] During the Second World War a recess in the crypt was used to house the Coronation Chair, which had been moved in August 1939 from Westminster Abbey for safe keeping.

[25] The remainder of the 10,000 sandbags supplied by the Office of Works were used to protect the other monuments in the cathedral, including the tomb of Edward II.

In 2015 Rachel Treweek was installed as bishop, the first woman to be appointed to a diocesan bishopric in the history of the Church of England.

[30] The cathedral consists of a Norman nave (Walter de Lacy is buried there), with additions in every style of Gothic architecture.

To repair the damage and update the architectural style, an ambitious building campaign was launched, including the revaulting of the nave Early English style (completed 1243); the construction of the central tower (begun 1237); the rebuilding of the collapsed south tower (completed 1246); and the rebuilding of the refectory.

The late Decorated Great East window is partly filled with surviving medieval stained glass.

In a side-chapel is a monument in coloured bog oak of Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror and a great benefactor of the abbey, who was interred there.

Both types have a wide range of subject matter: mythology, everyday occurrences, religious symbolism and folklore.

[35] The cloisters at Gloucester are the earliest surviving fan vaults in England, having been designed between 1351 and 1377 by Thomas de Cantebrugge.

[56] It was originally the site of a series of monastic graveyards, but was largely rebuilt in the 18th century when many of the buildings were converted to domestic use.

[72] The War Memorial to the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Yeomanry, a Grade II* listed structure, stands in the centre of College Green.

The cathedral's current choir was established by King Henry VIII in 1539, and at present is composed of 18 boy and 20 girl choristers, as well as 12 adult singers.

[95] In 1971 Hill, Norman and Beard, working with the cathedral's organist John Sanders, and a consultant, Ralph Downes, completely redesigned the instrument, which was again overhauled in 1999 by Nicholson & Co.

[95] As of 2023, the organ is out of commission, but the cathedral has contracted with Nicholsons for the latest reconstruction to be completed by the time of the next Three Choirs' Festival in 2026.

There is no external dial, but there is a fine Art Nouveau clock face in the north transept, dating from 1903, designed by Henry Wilson.

Notable people buried at Gloucester Cathedral include: The cathedral has been used as a filming location for movies and for TV including: the first, second and sixth Harry Potter movies;[100] the Doctor Who episodes The Next Doctor[101][102] and the Fugitive of the Judoon;[103] The Hollow Crown;[104] Wolf Hall;[105] the Sherlock special The Abominable Bride;[106][107] Mary Queen of Scots;[108] and all three of The Cousins' War adaptations – The White Queen,[109] The White Princess[110] and The Spanish Princess.