Churches, Minsters and Cathedrals

Legal distinctions between the designation of Church of England churches

During his visit to  Hull on 7 November, the Archbishop of York announced that Holy Trinity church would be re-dedicated as a Minster “in recognition of its inspiring regeneration, physically and spiritually”. To many Anglicans as well asst-gregory-minster-img_183092 non-Anglicans, the “Minster” designation is confusing, since it is applied to a range of buildings from some of smallest places of worship, such as St Gregory’s Minster, Kirkdale, N Yorks, (photo inset) to York Minster, the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe, (photo below). This post sets out to unravel the legal and other distinctions between churches, minsters, and cathedrals, and summarize their respective status within the Church of England. Continue reading