Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of York: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Archi-Episcopal SeeClutton-Brock, A. (Arthur)
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of York: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Archi-Episcopal See
Clutton-Brock, A. (Arthur)
York Minster
#The Chapter-House# is entered by a doorway of most beautiful design,
planned in the same manner as the western entrance of the cathedral, but
plainer in decoration. It consists of a large arch divided into two
smaller arches, each of which contains a door. In the head of the larger
arch is a quatrefoil, at the bottom of which are two carved brackets for
sculpture. Between the two smaller arches is a niche, with a canopy
decorated with a double row of gables and finials. The niche contains a
statue of the Virgin Mary and Infant Christ, so mutilated that little of
their ancient beauty is left. Below this niche are four narrow shafts
with capitals. On each side of the doors is a rich cluster of shafts,
boldly cut and varied, with finely-carved capitals. The mouldings of the
main arch and of the two subordinate arches are plain, but much thicker
and bolder than those of the western doorway. On each side of the main
arch are plain niches with small carved brackets. This doorway on the
inner side is divided by a cluster of shafts, and above it is an oblong
piece of masonry ornamented with arcading enclosed in an obtuse arch.
Above the outer arches of the arcading, on each side, is a niche with
sculpture.
The chapter-house itself is octagonal in form, being divided into eight
bays. Seven of these are filled with windows, the eighth, that over the
entrance, being ornamented with blank tracery of the same design as that
of the windows. These windows are very acutely arched, and their tracery
is of the geometrical Decorated style. They contain five lights, each
light terminating in a trefoiled arch. The central light has further a
very acute arch above it, also filled with a trefoil. The two outer
lights on each side are joined together by an arch above them, in which
is a cinquefoiled circle. Above are three circles arranged pyramidally,
each containing nine cusps. The mullions enclosing the central light are
thicker than the others. All the mullions are broken up into very
slender shafts with capitals. It may be safely said that for elegance,
symmetry, and the ingenious filling of a given space, the tracery of
these windows is not surpassed in Europe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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