precious-postcards

Durham Castle and Cathedral

Durham Cathedral was built in the late 11th and early 12th centuries to house the relics of St Cuthbert (evangelizer of Northumbria) and the Venerable Bede. It attests to the importance of the early Benedictine monastic community and is the largest and finest example of Norman architecture in England. The innovative audacity of its vaulting foreshadowed Gothic architecture. Behind the cathedral stands the castle, an ancient Norman fortress which was the residence of the prince-bishops of Durham.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/370

Durham Castle and Cathedral are the largest and most impressive examples of Norman architecture in England. They overlook a bend in the Wear river, crossecting the old university town of Durham. 

The Cathedral was built between 1093 and 1133. It is in the Norman (Romanesque) style, and houses the relics of St. Cuthbert, the evangelist of Northumbria. 

The building is considered one of the high points in medieval architecture, because of the speed in which it was made (about 40 years) and the considerable unity in its style. Most spectacular is the Nave with the huge carved pillars that are 6.6 metres round and 6.6 metres high. 

Behind the Cathedral, at the northern end of Palace Green, is the Castle: an ancient Norman fortress which was the residence of the Prince Bishops of Durham. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/durhamcastle.html