Friday, August 17, 2007

The Cathedral

What a glorious place - first of all, it's huge! You enter the Cathedral Close throught the Bailgate and in front of you is one of the most jaw-dropping facades. The Norman Cathedral's west front is nearly intact, surrounded by and extended by the gothic church. The screen is an on-going feast of visual impact - the combination of of Norman and Gothic elements creates complex counterpoint.

For a great portion of it's history each of the 3 towers had spires, the center one being 150 feet tall - making the cathedral the tallest building in the world for 200 years until the Eifel Tower. The central spire collapsed, the other 2 were taken down. Sited on the top of the hill, one can imagine the impact the sight of the cathedral made from a distance. In fact, it can still be seen from quite a ways away - when I was at Belvoir Castle the guide took me to the window and we could clearly see the Cathedral from 38 miles away!

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