aerial photograph of Coventry Cathedral Coventry West Midlands UK. Coventry Cathedral, more formally known as the Cathedral Church of St Michael, was built in the 12th and 15th centuries and destroyed in the Coventry Blitz on the night of 14th November 1940. The ruins have been preserved as a memorial. Originally a parish Church it was made a collegiate church in 1908 and then cathedral in 1918. The Crypt and south porch date from around 1300AD and the West steeple AD 1373-94 . The spire, which is the third tallest in England was begun in 1432. The church walls were rebuilt between 1373 and 1450. The building was restored 1883-90 by J Oldrid Scott..