York Minster

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There is so much to appreciate at York Minster. It may not offer that warm hug feeling that some of my other favorites churches possess, but it remains near the top of of my list. The minster's formal name is Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St. Peter in York. York Minster is a lot easier on the tongue. It was designed to be the greatest cathedral in the kingdom, and took over 250 years to complete. Construction ran from 1220 to 1472.

The first church built on the site dated back to 627, and the first Archbishop of York was recognized by the pope in 732. The remains of the Basilica, the ceremonial center of the Roman fort, were found beneath the Minster building. A stone Anglo Saxon church existed on the site from 866, but it was ransacked by William the Conqueror's forces in 1069. William appointed his own archbishop, Thomas, who then completed his own Norman cathedral on the site by the beginning of the 12th century.

There is much to see in York Minster. I hope enjoy this collection of photos I took whilst Christa and I enjoyed a leisurely tour of the church.











One of the many memorials within York Minster.


This memorial meant something to me because it features William Wentworth and his wife, Henrietta Mary Stanly, second daughter of the Earl of Derby. The family played a big role in Preston history. Preston is not only Steve's home town, but the subject of my master's thesis in European history. So I was delighted by the discovery.

More from the memorial.

I lit a candle in remembrance of a family member we had recently lost.


This is the Doomstone. It is a survivor of the first Norman minster and show's the mouth of hell.

Lost souls are being pushed in to hell's cauldron, which is being stoked below by demons. It's rather gruesome.

The bottom part of the font dates back to the 15th century and came from nearby Bedern Chapel. The cover dates to 1946 and commemorates the baptism of King Edwin by Bishop Paulinus in 627 in the original Saxon church.


The ceiling down in the undercroft.

The base of one of the original columns from the Roman Basilica found on the site.

A tomb to William Fitzherbert, the Patron Saint of York, in the crypt.

Saint William was Archbishop of York from 1141 to 1147 and then again from 1153 to 1154. Several miracles were attributed to him and he was canonized in 1224.

A visit to Saint William's tomb became a popular pilgrimage.


These statues are thought to have originally been placed high upon the Norman minster by Archibishop Thomas of Bayeux around 1180.









When you're in an historic building, always look up.


Seriously. Look up.







My iPhone camera doesn't do digital zooms very well. But here are a few of the special ceiling medallions found within York Minster. There is one commemorating the moon landing, but I couldn't find it this time around.




A statue of Roman emperor Constantine. In 306 AD, York was known as Eboracum. It was a bustling Roman city, imperial capital, and the headquarters of Emperor Constantius's campaign in Britain. Constantius had successfully lead his troops in victory over the natives north of Hadrian's Wall, but he was old. When he died in Eboracum, his son Constantine donned his father's robe of imperial purple. He becomes the first Christian emperor of Rome.



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