Durham Cathedral of Christ and Saint Mary

Durham Cathedral, built in the Romanesque style, was erected in the XI style. At that time, it performed not only an aesthetic, but also a defensive function.

The cathedral was built by order of the first Durham bishop Wilhelm de Saint-Calais. After the consecration of the cathedral, the relics of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and Oswald of Northumbria were transferred to it - the main shrines of Durham. In the XII century, the Gothic chapel of the Virgin Mary was completed to the temple, in which the relics of the chronicler Bede the Venerable and Cardinal Thomas Langley were placed. The cathedral houses one of the largest collections of old printed books in England, as well as three copies of the Magna Carta.

The central tower of the cathedral reaches 66 meters in height. At its top is an observation deck overlooking Durham and its surroundings. In 1986, the cathedral together with the nearby castle was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.