Village churches welcome walkers
to pop in and enjoy a thoughtful break.
This church probably sits upon an ancient pagan site.
How do we know? It's dedicated to Saint Michael.
And Michael, the archangel who fought the devil,
still guards the door.
Inside, you get a sense that this church
has comforted this community in good times and bad.
Pre-Christian symbols decorate the columns,
perhaps left over from those pagan days.
And the list of rectors goes way back,
without a break, to the year 1269.
This church was built with wool money.
In fact, they say generations of sheepdog leashes
actually wore these grooves.
I guess a shepherd took his dog everywhere,
even to church.
For nearly a thousand years,
pilgrims have set their sights on this,
the Durham Cathedral, standing like a mighty fortress.
Built around the year 1100 to house the much-venerated bones
of the great missionary monk Saint Cuthbert,
it offers perhaps England's best
and purest look at Norman architecture.
The architecture is unusually harmonious
because the church was completed in just 40 years
and survives essentially unaltered.
Round arches and zig-zag decorations
are textbook Norman style.
Stroll down the nave to the center.
Gaze up at one of
the highest bell towers in Europe.
When the Normans conquered the Saxons
here in England back in the 11th century,
they brought with them more than just their architecture.
They brought a whole new order.
And this mighty church, way up here in the north,
was more than a place of worship
and a home for Saint Cuthbert's bones.
It was an unambiguous political statement,
both to the conquered Saxons and to the Scots further north.
The Normans were here to stay.
Grand medieval churches and the art that fills them
are a reminder that monks like Cuthbert
were the intellectual candles who helped keep
scholarship flickering through the dark ages.
Later, that knowledge strengthened the church
and made wonders like the Durham Cathedral possible.
England's first completely Gothic church dates
from about 1200.
The west portal shows off
what's said to be the greatest collection of medieval statuary
anywhere in Europe --
about 300 13th-century carvings.
This entire ensemble was once painted in vivid color.
It must have been a spectacular welcome --
a heavenly host proclaiming
"welcome to worship."
Stepping inside, you're struck by the unique
and ingenious "scissors" arch.
This hour-glass-shaped double arch was added
in about 1340 to bolster the church's sagging tower.
Nearly 700 years later
it's not only still working, it's beautiful.
[ Bell chimes ]
The chimes draw your attention
to one of the oldest working clocks in the world --
from 1392.
The clock does its much-loved joust on the quarter hour.
More medieval whimsy is carved into the capitals:
This man has a toothache.
Another pulls a thorn from his foot.
And a farmer clobbers a thief so hard,
his hat falls off.
[ Choir singing ]
And under glorious stained glass,
you can enjoy the cathedral's evensong.
The evensong is a Church of England choral service
traditionally performed each evening
and welcoming everyone.
Taking a seat in the intimate central part of the church,
we enjoy the opportunity to experience
the church filled with timeless music.
Because we're here in July,
the cathedral's choir is on break,
and a visiting choir is performing.
This one's from near Liverpool.
♫ [ choir singing ]
The minster is the pride of York.
Britain's largest Gothic church
brilliantly shows that the late Middle Ages were far from dark.
The York minster is filled with history and tradition.
Its grand bells have called people to worship here
for well over a thousand years.
Each day at noon the huge bell nicknamed "Great Peter"
is rung from the church tower.
At 10 tons, the bell can actually ring its ringer.
[ Bell rings ]
Inside, your first impression might be
the spaciousness and brightness.
The nave, from about 1300,
is one of the widest Gothic naves in Europe.
On festival Sundays, 4,000 worshippers pack the place.
The central tower soars nearly 200 feet.
The neck-saving mirror allows you to marvel at it comfortably.
The church has more original medieval glass
than the rest of England's churches combined.
The east window is the size of a tennis court.
The great west window has exceptional stone tracery.
With its nickname, "the heart of York,"
it represents the sacred heart of Christ
and reminds worshippers of his love for the world.
The intricacy of the painted and stained glass
held together by lead is exquisite.
The fine details, far too tiny to see from the floor,
are said to be for God's eyes only.
The choir screen separates the nave from the choir.
This ornate wall of carvings is lined
with four centuries of English kings,
from William the Conqueror to Henry VI.
While most of the faces are generic kings
with the same scraggly beards,
Henry, during whose reign it was carved in 1461,
is both genteel and engaged.
York's minster is considered England's
number-two Anglican church, after Canterbury.
The Anglican church came into existence about 500 years ago,
born out of Europe's long power struggle
between popes and kings.
Westminster Abbey.
This most historic church in the English-speaking world
is where kings and queens have been crowned and buried
since 1066.
While it was first built in the 11th century,
much of what we see today is 14th century.
When there's a royal wedding, the world looks on as,
amid all this splendor,
thousands of Britain's glitterati gather
under these graceful Gothic arches.
The centerpiece is the tomb of Edward the Confessor,
who founded the abbey.
And surrounding Edward
are the tombs of 29 other kings and queens.
This is the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I.
Her royal orb symbolizes
she was queen of the entire globe.
The abbey is filled with the remains
of people who put the Great in Britain --
saints, musicians, scientists, and soldiers.
For lovers of English literature,
strolling through poets' corner
can be a pilgrimage in itself.
King Henry VII's Lady Chapel,
with its colorful windows and fanciful banners,
has the festive air of a medieval pageant.
The elaborate ceiling is a fine example of fan vaulting,
a style that capped the Gothic age.
At the far end, a wall of modern stained glass
marks the Royal Air Force Chapel.
It honors the fighter pilots of all nations
who died defending Britain in 1944.
With saints in stained glass,
heroes in carved stone,
and the remains of England's greatest citizens
under the floor stones,
Westminster Abbey is the national church
and the religious heart of England.