minsters

The largest cathedral in England, York Minster incorporates all the stages of English Gothic architecture and contains an impressive collection of medieval stained glass - its largest window is the size of a tennis court.

Possibly the best Gothic parish church in England, the cathedral-sized Beverley Minster spans the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic periods.

One wall is all that remains of the New Minster founded by St Aethelflaed in 900, which contained the holy relics of St Oswald of Northumbria. It became an Augustinian priory in 1152.

The Berner Münster (formerly Cathedral of St. Vincent) is a late-Gothic church with magnificent carved portals. Its rocket-like spire is the tallest in Switzerland.