York Minster is the largest Gothic church north of the Alps. The word "minster" means an important church chartered with a mission to evangelize. Because it is the seat of a bishop, York Minster is also a cathedral. Since York Minster was not part of a monastery, King Henry VIII left it standing. It seats 2000 people and on Christmas and Easter, 4000 worshipers pack the place. Today, there are more than 250 employees and 500 volunteers that work to preserve its heritage. 1.3 million visitors come each year!

We were not able to tour York Minster because there had been a concert and it was closed to tours so they could remove the stage and scaffolding; however, you could attend the Evensong Service. I made a point of being outside the Minster when they opened for the service at 5:00 pm. Several other tour members were there also. It gave me a chance to see the inside and I thoroughly enjoyed the service. As I was leaving, I casually took pictures of the interior, then walked around the outside and got more pictures of the architecture.

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