13 Facts About York Minster

Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe.

York Minster was completed in 1472 after several centuries of building.

On 9 July 1984, York Minster suffered a serious fire in its south transept during the early morning hours.

York Minster is the second-largest Gothic cathedral of Northern Europe and clearly charts the development of English Gothic architecture from Early English through to the Perpendicular Period.

York Minster is the largest cathedral completed during the Gothic period of architecture, Cologne Cathedral only being completed in 1880, after being left uncompleted for 350 years.

Related searches

East end of the York Minster was built between 1361 and 1405 in the Perpendicular Gothic style.

York Minster became the first cathedral in England to have a carillon of bells with the arrival of a further twenty-four small bells on 4 April 2008.

York Minster had its saint but it took until 1279, when William de Wickwane was elected archbishop, for the remains of the canonised William to be transferred to a shrine prepared for them behind the high altar.

York Minster's remains were interred on "the vigil of Pentecost, 1255" under his effigy "in full canonicals" carved in Purbeck marble under a canopy resting on ten light pillars.

Organists of York Minster have had several official titles, the job description roughly equates to that of Organist and Master of the Choristers.

In November 2002, York Minster was illuminated in colour, devised by York-born Mark Brayshaw, for the first time in its history.

York Minster was artistically illuminated on 5 November 2005, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the foiling of York-born Guy Fawkes' gunpowder plot.

In 2000, the Dean and Chapter allowed the York Mystery Plays to be performed for the first time inside the Minster, directed by Gregory Doran.