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St James' Church within the precincts of the Norman abbey was built by Abbot Anselm in the twelfth century. He was thwarted in his hopes to make a pilgrimage to Santiago in Spain. Instead he built a church for pilgrims to the abbey and dedicated it to St James. It also served the people of the town. The Nave of today's church, started in 1503, is the successor of that church. Though little remains of the Benedictine Abbey, following the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, St James' Church has continued to grow over the centuries. In 1914, St James' became the cathedral church of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. However, it was not until after the Second World War that, with Stephen Dykes Bower as architect, work could start on enlarging the building. The last forty years have seen several additions to the church and its associated buildings, culminating in the recent Millennium Project.

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