York Cathedral - York Minster is a jewel of Gothic architecture, a magnificent cathedral that challenges Cologne Cathedral for the right to be called the the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. Its official name is "The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Peter in York", and the title "Minster", derived from the Latin monasterium, is nowadays a kind of title of honour held by some of the older and better-known churches of the Great Britain.
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The construction of the cathedral lasted about 250 years, with a wide nave on Norman foundations the wide nave, north and south transepts, the massive central tower and choir were built on Norman foundations. The western towers were added last, and the cathedral was consecrated in 1472. consecrated.
At present, the cathedral is 158 metres long and the towers are 60 metres high. The nave of the cathedral is - is the widest Gothic nave in England, the wooden roof above it being painted to match the stone.
The oldest parts of the cathedral are the north and south transepts. The north transept contains the famous lancet windows called the "Five Sisters," and the south transept is adorned with a magnificent rose, a large round window with shaped binding in the form of a of a star or blossoming flower. Its stained glass windows of 1500 commemorate the union of the of the royal houses of York and Lancaster. The Great Eastern Window is the largest medieval stained glass window in the world, 23 metres high, created by John Thornton in the early 15th century. The west towers house the bells and chimes, and the north transept, an astronomical clock was installed in 1955 to commemorate the British airmen Great Britain who died in the Second World War.
