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Bargain Travel Europe guide to Europe on a budget for unusual destinations,
holiday travel tips and secret spots missed by travel tours.


 


YORK MINSTER CATHEDRAL
What to See at North England’s Great Gothic Church


York Minster Gothic Bell TowerThe 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

York Minster Great East Window Stained Glass Bible Scenes photoHalf 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

York Minster from York Wall photoOne 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

Holy Roman Emperor Constantine Throne Statue York photoDescending 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

Astronomical WWII Clock York Minster photoThe 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

York Minster Interior photoThe 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 Travel Europe

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York Minster

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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

WESTMINSTER ABBEY - LONDON

YORK NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM

JORVIK VIKING CENTER AND FESTIVAL - YORK