York Minster

York Minster Review

Focal point of the city, this vast cathedral is the largest medieval Gothic church in Northern Europe and attracts almost as many visitors as London's Westminster Abbey. Inside, the effect created by its soaring pillars and lofty vaulted ceilings is almost overpowering. Come with binoculars if you wish to study the loftier of the 128 dazzling stained-glass windows. Glowing with deep wine reds and cobalt blues, they're bested only by those in Chartres Cathedral in France. Mere statistics can't convey the scale of the building; however, the central towers are 200 feet high, and the church is 519 feet long, 249 feet across its transepts, and 90 feet from floor to roof. Contributing to the cold, crushing splendor are the ornamentation of the 14th-century nave; the east window, one of the greatest pieces of medieval glazing in the world; the north transept's Five Sisters windows, five tall lancets of gray-tinged 13th-century glass; the enormous choir screen depicting somewhat stylized images of every king of England from William the Conqueror to Henry VI; and the masterful tracery of the Rose Window, with elements commemorating the marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in 1486 (the event that ended the Wars of the Roses and began the Tudor dynasty). Don't miss the exquisite 13th-century Chapter House and the Undercroft, Treasury, and Crypt. Finds uncovered during restoration work date back to Roman times, and include a Saxon child's coffin. After exploring the interior, you might take the 275 winding steps to the roof of the great Central Tower (strictly for those with a head for heights), not only for the close-up view of the cathedral's detailed carvings but for a panorama of York and the surrounding moors. For a treat, try to attend one of the concerts regularly held in the cathedral.