Medieval Series: John of Tours – Bath’s First Bishop

This is the third talk in a series of four about “Medieval History Makers of Bath” – buy a Series Pass before the first talk (Adelard, 11 July) to get a discount and all your tickets in one transaction!

Who was John of Tours and why was he not named John of Bath? Find out more in the third talk in our series on the great medieval figures of Bath!

Appointed Bishop of Bath in 1091, John was educated to a high standard in Tours, in Norman France (hence he is often referred to as John of Tours). He was physician to King William Rufus and began construction of the Norman cathedral in Bath. He was also the chief sponsor of Adelard of Bath, whose travels to the Arabic world (where he translated lost works of classical Greece from Arabic into Latin) are credited with helping to launch the European Renaissance. 

Jeremy Key-Pugh