York Minster: The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter, York, England York Minster is considered one of the finest medieval buildings in Europe. Its a site that included the first Christian church dating to 300AD. The first church was wooden, then rebuilt with stone in 647AD, and dedicated to St. Peter. It was known to have been a Roman fortress. Over the next centuries, York found itself under attack by the Danes, Saxons, Norse and English. In 1069, William the Conqueror ransacked the church. He then appointed his own Archbishop and a Norman cathedral was built on the site. The present Gothic‐style church was ordered to be constructed in 1215 by the Archbishop of York, Walter de Grey. It was designed to be the greatest cathedral in the kingdom. It was built over 250 years, between 1220 and 1472. "Declared full and consecrated in 1472, York Minster has survived wars, plague, political upheaval, structural disaster and native revolt." The term "minster" was given to Anglo‐Saxon church buildings during their time period. The churches had missionary instructing uses. The term today is used as an "honorific title." Only Westminster Abbey still retains the title of minster in England. Architecturally, the Gothic use of "flying buttresses" were designed to assist in partitioning medieval cathedrals. The York Minster has the largest expanse of stained glass in the world. The largest was completed in 1408. It is carefully cleaned and refurbished every ten years. See https://www.luxury‐architecture.net/amazing‐history‐architecture‐york‐minster/, for a more extensive description of the church's architectural features.

Pictured is Emperor Constantine of the Western Roman Empire. York was called Eboracum then. In 313AD, Constantine proclaimed religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire, as the first Christian Emperor. His statue is outside of the church and remembered for his religious tolerance.

Sources: Tour with Guide, https://yorkminster.org/, http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/themes/york‐minster, https://www.tripsavvy.com/facts‐and‐ figures‐about‐york‐minster‐1662731, https://britainexpress.com/cities/york/minster.htm, https://www.luxury‐architecture.net/amazing‐history‐ architecture‐york‐minster/, http://www.yorkshireguides.com/york_minster.html and https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Minster. acuri.net John R. Vincenti York Minster, England