Winchester monarchs such as King Canute and William Rufus. It was once an important pilgrimage centre and housed the shrine of Saint Swithun. The ancient Pilgrims' Way travelling to Canterbury begins at Winchester. The plan of the earlier Old Minster is laid out in the grass adjoining the cathedral. The New Minster (the original burial place of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder) once stood beside it. The cathedral has a girls choir and a boys choir, which sing on a regular basis at the cathedral. Winchester Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the
The Patron Saint of Butterflies up unexpectedly and finds out the truth behind Mount Blessing. "The Patron Saint of Butterflies" received the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers (NAIBA) Best Book of the Year award for Children's Literature in 2008; it was also selected as one of Oprah’s Best Teen Selections in 2008. "The Patron Saint of Butterflies" earned the award for the Young Adult Book of the Year by the Northeast Independent Booksellers Association and was a Top Ten Pick for 2008 by Amazon.com. The novel was selected to be a Book Sense Pick and a Banks Children Book of the Year Selection. It was also