Biography
Explore York with us in the Roman and Viking eras, and then discover the centuries-long process involved in building its beautiful Minster
York Minster: the Basics
The first version of York Minster was nothing more than a little wooden chapel, put up in the early seventh century to host the baptism of the converted pagan King Edwin and his court. The vast Gothic stone and glass magnificence we see before us today was only really begun in the early 1200s, when it was decided to build a cathedral that would rival the most majestic in Europe.
Early York
The two most dynamic phases of the early history of the city of York were its founding and administration by the Romans, and the century or so that followed the Viking conquest of AD 866. It was between these two periods, in about 627, that a small wooden church – considered to be the earliest version of York Minster – was built for the baptism of King Edwin and his court.
Building the Minster
A small wooden edifice thrown up hastily in AD 627 was the original ancestor of York Minster. It was purpose-built for the baptism of the pagan King Edwin and his court by Archbishop Paulinus.
