A minster is a type of cathedral.
The word is derived from Latin monasterium and was used for the church belonging to a monastery or a chapter. In the United Kingdom there are: York Minster, Beverley Minster, Southwell Minster , Wimborne Minster, Peterborough Minster , Reading Minster, Sunderland Minster , Iwerne Minster, Stow Minster , Dewsbury Minster , Berkeley Minster , Tewkesbury Minster , South Elmham Minster , Howden Minster, St. Botolf's Minster (Iken, Suffolk), Rotherham Minster , Preston Minster .
In the case of the Ulm Münster in Germany, it was used for a particularly prosperous parish church boasting a plethora of clergy.
In other places in Europe, "minster" has become simply a historical term for a particular church, e.g. the minsters of Strasbourg (France); Basel and Bern (Switzerland); Bonn, Essen, Freiburg, Aachen, Hameln, Doberan (all Germany).
See also
Last updated: 05-28-2005 06:10:14
