York Minster

Monday was our last full day in York and since the crowds were much smaller we had put off going through the York Minster until today. Crowds are a way of life when visiting places of interest in Europe, but that doesn't mean you can't try to mitigate the crush a little by choosing a time or day that is less likely to see a huge influx of sightseers. So Monday morning close to opening sounded like it would be a much smarter plan than say, Saturday at 2:00pm. Not only that but the weather was suppose to be much clearer with some sun breaks so our photos of the outside of the Minster would be so much nicer.

The name of the Minster is really "The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of Saint Petrer"-Really rolls off the tongue, huh?

Well the weather was as advertised when we reached the Cathedral, with the sun just poking out from time to time and a scattering of blue patches. It just amazing how much the contrasts between the architectural elements of these grand buildings change with the light. The original architect's and builders of these monumental structures tended to choose materials that would make the buildings glow and "light up" when bathed in sunlight. So there are huge differences in how a Cathedral looks to the eye from day to day depending on the weather. Take for example these next two photos below taken by the same camera of the York Minster on two different days. The first was taken on Friday, when it was gray and cloudy with absolutely no sunlight, the second was taken on Monday.

This photo of the Mister was taken on Friday

This picture was taken Monday, see the huge difference in detail and how the rock "glows"

The moral of this story is to go back and view these buildings under different weather conditions and during different times of the day if at all possible during your visit to these cities. The differences in what you see and the images that you bring home can vary wildly.

If you've never visited one of the great cathedrals of Europe you really owe it to yourself to plan to one day. I openly admit I am a HUGE cathedral nut, so you might just think I'm just drinking my own koolaid, but when you actually get to see one of these monumental buildings for the first time you truly understand the phrase "awe inspiring". The amount of architectural expertise and brute labor that went into constructing one of these behemoth buildings is mind boggling, especially during an era when every other part of science and technology were falling by the wayside. They didn't call them "The Dark Ages" for nothing.

The York Minster is the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe; an area rife with enormous cathedrals. Here's some fun facts to put the size of this cathedral in perspective. The Minster measures 525 feet in length, that's 165 feet longer than a football field. It also measures in at 249 feet in width. 

The interior of the main part of the cathedral is about the height of an 8-story building and the two west towers are 184 feet tall, about the same height as a 17 story building.

The Lantern Tower is 233 feet tall, which is about the same height as a 21 story building. And, by the way, at 16,000 metric tons it weighs about the same as 40 jumbo jets.

The 76 foot tall Great East Window, created by John Thornton in the early 15th century, is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world, and is about the same size as a tennis court.

Jerani's Achilles tendon had been bothering her, and having seen a plethora of churches on our travels decided to let me do this one alone. At the time we thought I'd be climbing the 275 steps up to the Lantern Tower so we agreed that it probably wouldn't be in her best interests to destroy her foot for the chance to see a great view of York. However, upon entering the Minster I was informed that you had to take a guided tour to visit the top of the tower and being that I don't play well with others I nixed that idea, so in the end Jerani could have come along. She sat in a nearby Cafe and nursed a splendid cappuccino, and I don't think she was too saddened to have missed out.

Well the interior of the cathedral DID NOT DISAPPOINT, it is exquisite! There were quite a few people inside the Minster but it's so huge that you felt alone. They basically check your bag at the entrance and charge you an entrance fee, and then you are free to roam around the enormous church undisturbed.

I walked all over the main floor giddy as only a 60 year old agnostic man who is for some reason completely smitten with religious buildings could be. I walked down little offshoot corridors and ducked inside little hidden alcoves. This is one amazingly large church!

 The burial vaults and statues were fascinating in their own right. Some date back close to 700 years and some of the statuary and sarcophagus's were real works of art.

I then stumbled upon the dark stone stairwell leading down into the subterranean crypt below the church and once again I can't start to express how excited I was...yes, I am that weird.

Once in the lower level you can see some of the original Norman pillars that had supported the earliest church built on this very site.

There are remnants of the original mosaic flooring and also a most curious artifact, the "Doomstone" which was originally created in the 12th century by Norman artists and has survived since the first Norman Minster.

It depicts ‘Hell’s Cauldron’ or ‘The Hellmouth', with lost souls being dumped into a boiling cauldron by the minions of hell.

Other devils stoke the fire beneath the cauldron. Various sinners are represented in different ways. Greed is carrying two bags of money while lust, a scantily clad woman, follows behind.

Toads, thought to be creatures of magic, represent evil and darkness and are scattered throughout the stone.

I have to admit, I was the only one down in the Minster's crypt at the time, and I was starting to feel a little uneasy looking at this ultra-creepy dimly lit almost nine hundred year old stone carving depicting the mouth of hell. Anyone who has watched "The Ring" or any of several other scary movies just knows that this is the moment when whatever nasty wicked thing living inside that hideous stone latches on to me and then follows me home and really makes life really uncomfortable from that point on.

With the thought of an eternal damnation starting to take form I quickly made my way through the rest of the crypt and followed another set of stone stairs back onto the safety of the Minsters main floor.

Whew, crisis averted. None of the stone statues turned their marble heads or whispered anything to me as I made my way down the opulent corridor so I figured I was home safe. I made my way towards the Minsters Chapter House which houses some of the most elaborate and creative gothic carvings in England.

The chapter house is octagonal, as is the case in many cathedrals, but what is unusual about the design is that it has no central column supporting the roof. The wooden roof, which was of an innovative design and the first of it's kind, is light enough to be able to be supported by the buttressed walls.

Encircling the Chapter House are the exquisitely done Gothic sculptured carvings depicting human, animal, angel and grotesque figures, and no two are alike.

I'm not exactly sure what was going on during the early 14th Century but the stone masons responsible for the carving of Gothic gargoyles and statues just about had to have a sick sense of humor. These carvings are so weird and bizarre you can't help but wonder what the heck was in the water.

On the way back out of the Minster I passed by a truly special 15th Century carving, the "King's Screen" which is just underneath the mammoth organ. It is a rendering of all of the English Kings, from William the Conqueror to Henry VI.

On my way to the exit I had one last look at the vaulted ceiling so far above me that it plays with the mind and at the spring sunlight filtering through the ornate stained-glass windows and marveled at the fact that I was standing in the same spot worshipers passed through nine hundred years in the past. That's one of the reasons why I travel.