Page 30 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

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A T!Af'JT/C
OCEAI'J • Edinburgh
f'JORTH
GREAT SEA
BR ITAIN
o YORK
IRUAND MINSTE R 1
NHHI~NO!!'
B irm i'Ogham •
london 1

STAINED GLASS
York Minster has an exceptional collection of
medieval stained glass. The glass was generally
colored during production, using meta I oxides
to produce the desired color, then worked on
by craftsmen on site. When a design had been
produced, the glass was first cut, then trimmed
to shape. Details were painted on using iron
OXIde-based paints that were fused to the glass
by finng in a kiln. lndividJal pieces were then
leaded together to form the finished window
Part of the fasonation of the minster glass1s
its vanety of subject matter. Some Vlllndows,
including the Great East Window, were paid
for by lay donors who specified a particular
subject; others reflect ecclesiastical patronage,

THE DECORATED GOTHIC STYLE
An example of this second phase of Gothic
archrtecture in England (c 1275-1380) is the
Chapter House, which radiates elegantly
aga1nst the back<top of York Minster. Delicate
carvings, fine stained-glass windows, elaborate
tracery, and experimental vaulting typify the
Decorated Gothic style. Carvings of foliage,
animals, and human figures can be viewed
above the stalls. Inside the nave, complex
tracery can be seen throughout

YORK MYSTERY PLAYS
These 48 medieval dramas, which relate the
h1story of the world from the mystery of God's
creation to the Last Judgment, were ongnally
performed between the 14th and the 16th
centuries for the feast of Corpus CIY1sti. The
The Five Sisters Window (c 1 260)
York Mystery Plays, or cycles, are one of only
in the north transept is made with
four complete English mystery play cycles to
grisaille, a silver-gray glass. The
have s urvived. They are divided into short
window has five lancets-each of
episodes and performed by actors standing on which is 50ft (1 5m) high and
a wagon. The entertainers then ride through 5 ft (1.5 m) wide-and contains
the city streets, pausing at a number of venues more than 100,000 pieces of glass.
to perform. It was customary for different
guilds to adopt the productions that often
bore a connection to their trade. For example,
snpbUIIders were responsible for the portrayal
of Noah's Ark, bakers played the Last Supper,
and butchers staged the death of Christ. ThiS
cycle tradition was revived for the Festival of
Britain in 1951 and has been performed every
three to four years since.