YORK MINSTER CATHEDRAL
What to See at North England’s Great Gothic Church
The gothic cathedral in York is one of the great masterpieces of the
medieval age. Built over a period of almost 250 years from the early
13th Century to the 15th Century, the York Minster Cathedral formed the
religious center of the English monachy in the north since the reign
of Plantagenet Kings John and Henry III (see Gloucester Cathedral). Walter de Gray was named Archbishop
of York in 1215 and decreed the building of a cathedral in the north
to rival that of Canterbury in the south and construction ofthe great
church was begun in 1220. A Norman chapel stood on the site of an earlier
church which had seen the invasion of the Vikings. The cathedral, commonly
referred to as York Minster, though officially the Cathedral and Metropolitan
Church of St Peter in York, is the largest gothic cathedral in Northern
Europe after Germany’s Cologne Dom, remains the seat of the second
highest office in the Church of England and an active center of worship.
Stained Glass
Half of the surviving medieval stained glass in England can be found
in York Minster, much of it in the great masterwork Great East Window
with glowing luminance depicting over a hundred biblical scenes, in minute
detail. The cathedral at York has been referred to as the Sistine Chapel
of Stained Glass” with more brilliantly colored glass than any
other single building in Britain. Located in a chapel of the Collage
of Vicars Choral, the Bedern Glaziers Studio, the restoration center
where the art of stained glass is kept alive, was opened to the public
in 2009, allowing a look behind the scenes at the careful preservation
of the ancient craft. Tours of Bedern Glaziers' Studio begin at 2 pm
on Wednesdays and Fridays leaving from the Minster Group Desk.
Great Tower
One of the most impressive features of York Minster is the great central
tower, completed around the year 1250. The great tower can be seen from
nearly all around the city of York from the top of the circling walls
(see Walking
York’s Walls). The tower’s 275 steps can be
climbed past the gothic medieval pinnacles and gargoyles, to take in
the view of the city’s rooftops, and narrow cobblestone snickleways.
From the tower you can see over the surrounding county from the Yorkshire
Dales to the White Horse at Kilburn. The tower of sandy colored stone
which takes on a golden hue at sundown weighs 16,000. The weight began
to sink and threatened to topple over time, but in the 1960s a project
to shore up the central works was undertaken and the supports can viewed
below the cathedral.
Undercroft, Treasury & Crypt
Descending below the minster into the Undercroft is a journey back before
for the gothic cathedral was built, and one of the most imortant archealogical
sites in England. During the restoration work to shore up the great tower,
the remains of earlier buildings going back to the roman era, the arrival
of the middle ages when Constantine, whose stature rests outside in his
imperal throne was proclaimed Roman Emperor at York in 306, and St. Paulinus
crowned the Saxon Kings. The treasury contains prescious objects of the
minster including gilded plate from around the diocese, the Horn of Ulf
and Archbishop Walter Gray’s burial artifacts. The twelfth century
crypt houses the tomb of St William of York.
Astronomical Clock
The York Minster prominently features an Astronomical Clock as a memorial
to the airmen who operated in bases in Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland
killen in action if the Second World War (see Yorkshire Air
Museum).
The idea for the clock was concieved in 1944, thought not completed
and installed until 1955, designed by the chief assistant at the Royal
Greenwich
Observatory (see Royal
Maritime and Greenwich Observatory Museums),
unique among clocks of its kind, depicting the sun and stars from the
viewpoint
of a pilot flying over York.
Chapter House
The Chapter House offers an inspiring look into beautifully preserved a medieval gothic interior, holding the minster’s finest wood carving dating from the late 13th Century. Still used as a meeting room for the religious Dean and minster Chapter, the room is built in an octaginal design with chairs along the walls, six seats to a section to expresss the equaliy of the chapter members. The Chapter House is open during the same hours as the Minster, though may be closed for private meetings at given times.
Visiting the York Minster Gothic Cathedral
The York Minster Cathedral is open to tourists Monday through Satruday
from 9am to 6:30 pm (last entry 5pm) Sundays 12 noon to 3:45pm. There
is no sightseeing on Sundays before noon when services are being held,
or on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, though you can go to the services.
Admission to the York Minster for sightseeing ranges from £6 for
adults and £5 for seniors and students. Children under 16 are free – with
entrance to the Tower and the Treasury Undercroft and Crypt, requiring
separate admissions. Combination tickets are available up to a “see
everything” ticket for £9.50 for adults and £8 seniors
and students. Free Guided Tours are offered throughout the day with basic
admission, lasting an hour to an hour and a half. © Bargain
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See Also:
GHOST WALK IN YORK - DICK TURPIN TOURS
RIPLEY
CASTLE & HOTEL - BOARS HEAD INN
NIDD HALL HOTEL - YORKSHIRE DALES
DURHAM
CATHEDRAL - GREAT NORMAN CHURCH
