Jay-Z visits English cathedral to see original Magna Carta, inspiration for his album

July 18, 2013 at 2:48PM
Entertainer Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter smiles during a news conference at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Monday, May 14, 2012, in Philadelphia. The rapper announced plans for a two-day music festival in Philadelphia's at Fairmount Park, featuring nearly 30 acts "that embody the American spirit" on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2, 2012.
Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter (Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

LONDON — Jay-Z has dropped by an English cathedral to see the inspiration for his latest album — an 800-year-old parchment copy of the Magna Carta.

The musician visited Salisbury Cathedral in southwest England to see one of only four surviving original copies of the 1215 proclamation that is considered the founding constitutional document of the English-speaking world.

Jay-Z's chart-topping album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" is partly inspired by the document, whose name means the Great Charter.

The cathedral said Thursday that Jay-Z spent an hour at the church on Sunday, meeting the dean, Rev. June Osborne, and some of the choristers.

Osborne said the star had been "a delightful guest."

The 750-year-old cathedral is currently displaying the artwork for the album alongside its copy of the original Magna Carta.

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