The exterior is ornate. The walls seem frilly, the tan color overpowering. Then as you stare closer you see the sculpted sections. The towers are topped with mini spires and pointed sections jut out that exhibit the Norwegian influences of the church. These aspects that appear like the serrated section of a knife and are topped with crosses mimic the Stave Churches in Norway. Looking downward from the top, the pointed arches include stained glass windows, both Gothic attributions to the Cathedral. Eight lancets in the center topped by interlaced stained glass bring the focus to the center and then downward to the black medieval doors. Around the doors are jambs and various sculptures of saints.
The interior makes the church seem elongated and creates awe within those that step inside. The rib-vaulted ceiling allows for the pointed arches and stained glass windows to open up space from the nave to the rest of the church. One of the stained glass windows includes monkeys, reminding the people of when they shipped them to England and tried to domesticate them. Not all of the stained glass windows are original. They did save around 70 of the 128 stained glass windows despite the wars and controversy over the church power. Unfortunately, many of the sculptures were not that lucky. Because of the King, many of the sculptures were beheaded and iconography removed. These actions commenced because of the controversy over indulgences to Saints.
There are reliquaries tied to the church, like the bones of Walter de Gray, the Archbishop of York. His tomb is still present in one wing and they had removed his items to place in the museum under the cathedral in order to show the items that were common from his time. On the ceiling in this section there are actually modern pieces incorporated because of bombings that destroyed their predecessors. These were chosen from modern occurrences and depict space travel, raising the Mary Rose, and saving a whale.
Three things stood out to my in comparison to other Cathedrals built during this time frame. The front window had a heart formation that surrounds the stained glass which is referred to as 'The Heart of Yorkshire'. On one section of lancets, called “The Five Sisters Window”, gray glass was used, which was particularly popular during the time it was made. Last but not least, the Great East Window is the largest section of stained glass window. When I was there, it was under construction and stretched across it was the world’s biggest printed picture.
Under the church, there are Roman columns like tree stumps. Instead of rings on the center, the fluted rim replacing bark. And the Anglican church never uprooted these columns, only covered them.