“Above the triforium is the clerestory, which contains one light to each sub-bay, and surmounting all is the vaulting, which springs from the piers and from grotesquely carved corbels between the triforium arches. The vaulting ribs are ornamented with chevrons on either side of a bold semicircular moulding. So much for the general arrangement of the bays. Some idea of the massiveness of the structures may be gathered when it is known that each group of the clustered pillars separating the bays covers an area of two hundred and twenty-five square feet at its base, while those of the cylindrical columns of the sub-bays are twelve feet square, and the columns themselves have a circumference of over twenty-three feet. There is little room to doubt that the effect obtained by the old builders of Durham was intentional. The masterly way in which great masses of solid masonry, greater than was constructively necessary, are handled, and the reticence and delicacy of the ornament combine to prove this. There is in the whole scheme a delightful union of great power and vigour in the masses, and of tenderness and loving care in the detail.”--(J. E. B.) At the west end of the nave stands the =Font=, a modern work in the Norman style carved with medallions depicting scenes from the life of St. Cuthbert. It is covered by a large wooden canopy, dating from 1663 and curiously carved with a mixture of Classic and Gothic ornamentation. Durham is built in the form of a Latin cross, with transept, and in the centre of the arms rises the tower. At the east end another transept runs--the Chapel of the Nine Altars. At the west end we have the =Galilee Chapel=. [Illustration: DURHAM: NAVE, EAST] [Illustration: DURHAM: GALILEE CHAPEL] No one seems to know the origin of the word Galilee. According to Canon Talbot: “Its name of Galilee has probably some reference to Galilee of the Gentiles, and implies that it was considered less sacred than the rest of the Cathedral. St. Cuthbert had a more than monkish fear of women, and they were not allowed to approach the shrine. A cross let into the pavement of the nave at the far west end curiously marks the far-removed spot nearer than which women might not approach. The prejudices of the good saint were thus perpetuated long after his death. The whole effect is light and graceful, and if the women were not allowed to enter farther than the western extremity of the church, they certainly had a most beautiful place of worship.” The Galilee Chapel is the most beautiful example of Transitional Norman.