york03 York Minster (link2) York's cathedral, although known as a minster, is officially the “Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York”. By definition a cathedral is the site of a bishop’s throne (a cathedra) but the word ‘cathedral’ did not come into use until after the Norman conquest. In Anglo-Saxon times important churches were minsters, but not all were bishops’ seats. York Minster’s history began in 627 AD when King Edwin of Northumbria was baptized in a simple wooden church at York within the site of the old Roman fort. The church was approved by the Pope and its dedication to St Peter reflected its links with Rome. The wooden church was rebuilt in stone and completed by King Oswald but the bishop’s seat was transferred for a time to Lindisfarne. The minster was rebuilt again in 664 AD and again after a fire in 741 AD. It was eventually destroyed during the Norman siege of the city in 1069 AD.