York Minster

Known for being one of the most magnificent medieval structures in Europe, York Minster Cathedral (or St Peters) is situated on land that has been used for religious purposes since as early as 300 A.D.

The first church on the site was a wooden structure, built in 627 to provide a place for Edwin, King of Northumbria, to be baptised.  Edwin had converted to Christianity, and was venerated as a saint after his death at the Battle of Hatfield Chase. 

A more substantial structure was constructed in the 630s.  By 637, the structure was completed by Oswald, the then King of Northumbria.  The church was dedicated to St Peter and, following Oswald's death, he was also venerated as a saint. 

Following this, the church fell into disrepair.  By 676 it was in a dilapidated state, and the English Bishop and Saint, Wilfred, started to repair the church when he was elevated to See of York.  Wilfred added a library and school which, by the eighth century, had become very influential.

Fire destroyed York Minster in 741, after which it was rebuilt with much grandeur, including thirty altars.  The church and its surrounding areas passed through a variety of conquering armies, including Vikings in 866.

A series of Benedictine Monks travelled to Westminster to crown William the Conqueror as king.  William was the first Norman king, having descended from Viking raiders.  On Christmas Day, 1066, the Saxon Archbishop of York, Ealdred, anointed and crowned William.  Following the pillaging and damaging of the Saxon Church, William, realising that his support was a clever political move, appointed Thomas Bayeaux as the first Norman Archbishop in 1070.  

In 1070, the invading Danes destroyed the Cathedral.  York Minster was rebuilt in 1080 in the Norman style, with rendering that had red and white lines.  Although the new structure was also damaged by fire in 1137, it was quickly restored.  In 1154, the choir and crypt were remodelled, and a new chapel was built in the Norman style. 

By the mid-12th century, the Gothic style in cathedrals had become popular.  In 1215, Walter de Gray, an English statesman and prelate, was made Archbishop of York.  He ordered the construction of a Gothic-style structure that would be as good as Canterbury.  In 1220, building on the North and South transepts, areas set across the nave in a cross shape, were built in the early Gothic style.

A large tower was completed with a wooden spire, and building continued on into the 15th century.  The nave was constructed on the Norman foundations in the 1280s.  The chapter house, which was started in the 1260s, was completed in 1296.  The outer roof construction was completed in the 1330s, while the roof vaulting was finished in 1360.

The last Norman structure was demolished in the 1390s.  When the central tower collapsed in 1407, it took until 1420 to rebuild and reinforce the new tower.  Between 1433 and 1472, the Western towers were added to the Cathedral.  York Minster Cathedral was declared complete and consecrated in 1472.

During the English Reformation, York Minster was looted, and its treasures and much of the church lands were confiscated.  When Elizabeth I became Queen, she wanted to remove all traces of Roman Catholicism from the Cathedral.  Altars, windows and tombs were destroyed. 

During the English Civil War, York was besieged by the forces of Oliver Cromwell.  A descendant of Thomas Cromwell, counsel to Henry VIII, Oliver Cromwell was a military and political leader.  It was Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, a commander-in-chief and general, who stopped the destruction of York Minster.  Following the easing of religious tension, more restoration work was carried out on the Cathedral.  The entire floor of the ministry was replaced with patterned marble between the years 1730 to 1736.  From 1802, major restorations took place in York Minster.

An arson attack on February 1st, 1829, resulted in huge amounts of damage to the East Arm of the Cathedral.  Jonathan Martin had attended Evensong, and had been agitated by what he said was a buzzing from the organ.  He lit a lamp in the bell tower and set fire to the church's woodwork.  In 1840, an accidental fire left the South aisle, nave and West tower roofless. 

Falling deeper and deeper into debt, the Cathedral suspended services in the 1850s.  Augustus Duncombe, appointed Dean of York in 1858 until his death in 1880, worked hard to restore and return the Cathedral to its former glory. 

The 20th century saw a concerted effort to preserve the Cathedral.  This resolve was inspired by a report done on the structure of York Minster, suggesting it was close to collapsing.  By 1972, the structure had been reinforced and strengthened. 

On July 9th, 1984, a fire caused by a lightning strike destroyed the roof of the South transept.  Fire crews in York and surrounding areas struggled with low water pressure, needing to jet the water high to put the fire out on the enormous roof.  They instead worked hard to save the Rose Window, which was under threat from the fire.  It was badly cracked due to the intense heat around it.  Situated high in the gable of the South transept, the window was produced in the workshop of the Master Glazier, Robert Petty, in 1955.  The red and white roses on the window were in honour of the Union of the Lancaster and Tudor houses when Henry VII married Elizabeth of York.  The window was painstakingly repaired.

Found in early restorations, the remains of a Roman Principia, headquarters of the early Roman Fort, Eboracum, as well as the remains of the Norman Cathedral, were opened to the public in 2013.

York Minster is said to be haunted by a dog called Seamus.  His barking is said to echo through the Cathedral at night.  It is believed that he belonged to a stonemason who worked on the Cathedral.  The other workers didn't like the stonemason or his dog, so they decided to brick the dog into the walls of the Cathedral.  His owner, the stonemason, was unable to find him, and so Seamus died alone in the dark. 

The ghost of an elderly gentleman is seen at services.  He purportedly loved the minster so much he didn't want to leave.  He sits and listens to the sermons.

A ghostly man in medieval clothes is seen at times carving wood, inviting people to look at his handiwork.

In the 1820s, a woman saw the ghost of her brother in York Minster.  He had just died on a faraway shore, and appeared to her as she sat praying in the Cathedral.

When I visited York, I was in awe of the magnificent structure of York Minster.  York is such an historic town, and the Cathedral is a fitting complement to its beautiful architecture.