Construction of York Minster completed

Literary/ Cultural Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Domains

Religious Architecture

Dates

Date of occurrence 1324

Places

England (Location)

Resources

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The immense cathedral of York Minster - the second largest Gothic cathedral in Europe - was finally declared complete, and consecrated, after being under construction since 1220. Several previous churches had stood on the site, the first a wooden structure built for the coronation of King Edwin of Northumbria in 627. A later stone replacement was built in the Norman style at the end of the twelfth century, but a century later, the Gothic style had become the architectural mode of choice. When Walter de Gray became Archbishop of York in 1215, he ordered a new cathedral to rival Canterbury in its gothic splendour. The Minster was built in stages over the next two and a half centuries: the transepts were completed first, in the 1250s, and the western end, with its two iconic towers, formed…

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165 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Construction of York Minster completed". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=9392, accessed 05 May 2024.]

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