Once this was the smallest cathedral in England . As their website says , this is no longer the case : `` It is true that at one time Christ Church Oxford would have been the smallest Cathedral in England ... However , with the creation this century of new cathedrals which had previously been parish churches , Christ Church lost its distinction of being the smallest Cathedral in the country . Christ Church Cathedral is often claimed to be the smallest cathedral in England , and although it did once hold this distinction there are now smaller cathedrals , as several parish churches were elevated to cathedral status in the 20th century .