Let’s face it – this is the big daddy of your visit – York Minster. Once you get past all the euphemisms – largest cathedral in Europe outside the vatican – you begin to discern a profound sense of the history of the building and the city. One of our favourites is the undercroft which has recently been remodelled.

It reveals key aspects of York’s dramatic history including:

• The Romans (71 to approx. 410AD): from the first establishment of a barracks at the site, to Constantine the Great, who ruled the Roman Empire from York, and made Christianity the official religion of the Empire – effectively, York was the birthplace of Christianity in Europe.  Newly-installed glass floors enable visitors to see some of the remaining Roman walls beneath their feet.
• The Anglian and Anglo-Saxon periods (around 410 to 866AD), which followed the withdrawal of the Romans from Britain: it is one of the least understood periods in British history but new evidence unearthed below York Minster suggests that this continued to be a thriving period for the city, with its own Royal mint and new buildings replacing Roman ones.
• The Vikings, who arrived in York in 866: in fact, it was a Viking lord called Ulf who gifted the land on which the current cathedral stands to the Chapter of York, using an elaborately carved elephant tusk as a deed of transfer.  The 1000 year-old Horn of Ulf has been preserved in superb condition and forms a focal point of the underground displays
• The late Saxon and early Norman period, when the first stone Minster was built: with the foundations of the Norman Minster still visible within the Undercroft, a fascinating illuminated manuscript known as the York Gospels will be on public display for the first time.  Although nearly 1000 years old – it is thought to have been initially brought to York around 1020AD – this priceless book is still used in ceremonies in York Minster today.
• The present day, when York Minster is not only a working place of worship but regarded as cultural masterpiece inspired by faith; a 21st century Church and international icon.  The modern perspective is viewed through the eyes of the people who make the building live and breathe today, incorporating a video presentation which captures the essence of a ‘day in the life of the Minster’..