York's cathedral church is one of the finest medieval
buildings in Europe. The Minster is also
known as St Peter's, its full name being the 'Cathedral and Metropolitical
Church of St Peter in York'. In the past
the church sat within its own walled precinct, known as the Liberty of St
Peter. The site of the magnificent medieval building has always been an
important one for the city. The remains
of the Basilica, the ceremonial centre of the Roman fortress, have been found
beneath the Minster building. The first Christian church on the site has been
dated to 627 and the first Archbishop of York was recognised by the Pope in
732. A stone Saxon church survived Viking invasion in 866 but was ransacked by
William the Conqueror's forces in 1069.
William appointed his own Archbishop, Thomas, who by the end of the
century had built a great Norman cathedral on the site. The present
Gothic-style church was designed to be the greatest cathedral in the
kingdom. It was built over 250 years,
between 1220 and 1472.
