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Church in York, North Yorkshire / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, widely known as York Minster, is the cathedral for the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the third highest office in the Church of England (after Charles III as Supreme Governor, and the Archbishop of Canterbury), and is the mother church for the ancient Diocese of York and Province of York. It is run by a dean and chapter, under the Dean of York.
York Minster | |
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Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York | |
53°57′43″N 1°4′55″W | |
Location | York, North Yorkshire |
Denomination | Church of England |
History | |
Status | Cathedral |
Founded | 627; 1397 years ago (627) |
Dedication | Saint Peter |
Consecrated | 3 July 1472 |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Heritage designation | Grade I |
Designated | 14 June 1954[1] |
Previous cathedrals | 3 |
Years built | 1220–1474 |
Groundbreaking | 673 |
Specifications | |
Length | 524.5 feet (159.9 m)[2] |
Nave length | 262 feet (80 m)[3] |
Width | 222 feet (68 m)[2] |
Nave width | 98 feet (30 m)[3] |
Nave height | 99 feet (30 m)[2] |
Choir height | 102 feet (31 m)[3] |
Number of towers | 3 |
Tower height | Central Tower: 198 feet (60 m) Western Towers: 196 feet (60 m)[2] |
Bells | 14 (change ringing), 7 (clock chimes), 35 (carillon) |
Tenor bell weight | 59 long cwt 1 qtr 23 lb (6,659 lb or 3,020 kg) |
Administration | |
Province | York |
Diocese | York (since 314) |
Clergy | |
Archbishop | Stephen Cottrell |
Dean | Dominic Barrington |
Precentor | Victoria Johnson |
Chancellor | Chris Collingwood |
Laity | |
Director of music | Robert Sharpe |
The minster in its present form is the fourth cathedral on the site, constructed principally from 1220 to 1472, mainly in the Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic styles. With an internal floor area of 63,800 square feet (5,930 m2), the minster is the largest medieval cathedral in the United Kingdom, surpassed only by the more recent Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, and St Paul's Cathedral in London. The cathedral is also one of the largest of its kind in Europe; it is the second largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, after only Cologne Cathedral.
The building has many notable features and treasures, including more surviving medieval stained glass in the country housed in its windows than any other cathedral in Britain. The largest windows of the four cardinal facades are some of the most significant of their respective ages, including the 'Heart of Yorkshire' on the west front, the 'Five Sisters' in the north transept, a large medieval rose window in the south transept, and the vast Great East Window in the east facade, the largest single expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. Other notable features include its octagonal chapter house, elaborate choir screen, and the widest Gothic nave in the country.
Considered an outstanding example of English Gothic architecture, the building is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country, with 2019 seeing a record 700,000 visitors. The cathedral has the honorific title 'Minster', first attributed in Anglo-Saxon times for missionary teaching churches. Numerous minster churches remain in England, but York Minster is one of only two to hold cathedral status, the other being Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire.