Complex sentence: Each cathedral also serves as a regional centre and a focus of regional pride and affe had been cathedrals at the time of the Reformation; eight being then served by secular canons, and a further eight being monastic.
Split into simpler sentences: Each cathedral also serves as a regional centre and a focus of regional pride and affection. Only sixteen of these buildings had been cathedrals at the time of the Reformation; eight being then served by secular canons, and a further eight being monastic.