EXPLORE A SPECIAL PLACE WELCOME TO YORK MINSTER
Special Person The Archbishop of York (he is called Archbishop John) wears special clothes when he leads the services. His hat is called a mitre. The stick he carries is a shepherd’s crook. He wears a cross around his neck, and a ring on his right hand. When he is at a service in the Minster, he sits in his special chair, called a cathedra.
This cathedral has been here for centuries. The colours on the map inside will show you where you are in the Minster. Start exploring anywhere you like. The Nave St Peter stands between the Great West doors, holding the keys of Heaven. As you walk around, look out for the red badge, showing the keys of St Peter.
Special Times Christmas and Easter are celebration times, when we have special services. At Christmas, we have an advent wreath hanging inside the tower, and a crib in the North Transept. At Easter, a cross hangs in the tower, and there is an Easter garden in the North Transept.
This building is also called St Peter’s Cathedral.
Special Actions When we say a prayer, we are talking to God. Sometimes people light a small candle when they have prayed, which burns for 2 hours. The candle flame is a picture of their prayer.
Special Carvings - Blue Peter Bosses
Look above your head and spot the fierce dragon.
We think that, a long time ago, there was a large stone font on the floor beneath the dragon, with a heavy lid. The dragon was a lifting device to raise the lid of the font. Can you see a small hole in its neck, where a chain could have been fastened?
Raising the Mary Rose
Fire in the South Transept
Famine Relief
Man on the Moon
Conquest of Space
Save the Whale
The sermon is preached from the pulpit, so that everyone can see and hear.
Turn around and look at the Great West Window. It is also called the ‘heart of Yorkshire’ . Do you see why? The font (in the tiny chapel on the left) holds the water for christening. This is a new font made specially for the Minster. It is portable, so you may find it somewhere else!
North Transept
Look at the Five Sisters Window. The glass is dark, but can you match the right pattern to each window? These windows are over 700 years old.
East End
Quire
The Great East Window is the biggest window in the Minster. It is the same size as a tennis court and is 600 years old. At the moment, the glass has been taken out, to be cleaned and mended. This will take at least 10 years to do; so we have a life-size photo of the window hanging in its place.
The pews with the candles are where the Minster choir sing. Turn around and look for the huge organ pipes. We have 5,000 pipes altogether; most of them cannot be seen. The organist sits high up in the balcony beneath the pipes, to play.
Bend down to find the carved mice at the ends of the wooden kneeling desks.
The bible is read from the lectern. N Quarterjacks strike the bars every 15 minutes (quarter). These figures are 500 years old, and have to be wound up every 2 days. If you want to see them strike, wait until the next quarter.
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Chapter House
W S
The large table (altar) at the end of the Quire, covered with a coloured cloth, holds the bread and wine in a Communion Service.
North Transept Toilets
West End
Central Tower
Nave
Shop
Quire
East End
South Transept
South Transept Look up at the Rose Window. The pattern of the window makes the shape of petals in a flower. Can you also see red roses around the edge of the circle? Above your head, the new vaulting (ceiling) was built after a fire in 1984, which we think was started by lightning. The bosses (carvings) in the vaulting are new. The 6 brightly coloured bosses were designed by children, for a competition run by the BBC ‘Blue Peter’ programme. See if you can find them.
(Look overleaf for help!)
Entrance
Central Tower Stand underneath the tower and look up. It is also called a Lantern Tower, because of the windows at the top. The Tower is 60 metres tall. It weighs 16,000 tons, which is the same as 40 Jumbo Jets! Spot the St Peter’s keys above you. Count the kings carved on the Quire Screen. If you look above their heads, you can see an angels’ band playing all sorts of instruments that you might recognise. Have you ever played any of them?
The cathedra is a special chair for the bishop. This word give us the name ‘cathedral’ which means ‘the church where the bishop has his seat’