In the south-east of England is the small city of Salisbury. It is famous for the fact that in its center there is a magnificent monument of English Gothic, known far beyond the borders of the country, and a recognized attraction - the Salisbury Cathedral of the Virgin Mary.
Construction history
The temple is located in a large garden, at a distance of three kilometers from the central square of the city. This makes it perfectly visible from all sides.
In the Iron Age, this place was an earthen fortification, which was turned by William the Conqueror in 1070 into a strong point. Later, a castle and a small episcopal cathedral were erected here, which was destroyed after a short time by a strong hurricane.
It was decided to build a new temple outside the castle, in lowland. On this occasion, there is a legend that the site of the construction of the cathedral was determined by the arrow of one of the castle's soldiers fired from the bow.
Another legend says that the place for the temple was indicated by the Virgin Mary herself, who appeared in a dream to Bishop Richard Pur, who was living here at that time.
Salisber Cathedral was built in an unprecedentedly short time for that time - 38 years, from 1220 to 1258. But the finishing work continued for another half a century.
Architecture
Salisbury Cathedral is built in the Gothic style of the local Chilmark stone. In the facade of the building there are no usual gothic spiers, in their place there are small tents.
On the plan, the building consists of several intersecting rectangles, the intersection of which is crowned by a tower.
The tower of the cathedral was built a hundred years after the building itself. The spire of the Salisbury Cathedral is the highest in England, its height is 123 meters.
The uniqueness of the structure lies in the fact that with a weight of the structure of 6 tons, its foundation is only one meter.
The walls of the cathedral are decorated with more than a hundred different niches occupied by statues. Of these, 73 statues form 5 rows, they are arranged in accordance with the church hierarchy. Many of them are not genuine, but later replaced with exact copies. Some of the original sculptures were destroyed during the Reformation.
The whole facade is richly decorated with carvings, ornaments and columns. A large stained-glass window is installed in the center.
Clock
The watches of the Salisbury Cathedral, which were installed in 1386, are unique and are the oldest working watches in the world. They do not have a dial, but they still show the correct time.
Cathedral Interior
Inside the space of the cathedral is well lit. The columns are made of Perbek marble, which is a crystallized limestone, iridescent in the sun. Vibrant window stained glass shimmers with all colors. All this can be seen in the photo of the Salisbury Cathedral.
In the interior decoration, completely different in color and texture materials were used.
The cathedral itself is a real repository of world relics. Also in the temple there are many different decorations and things quite unexpected for this place.
Authentic banners of past centuries are hung along the walls at the entrance. Not far from the main entrance is a unique font, the development of which took about 10 years. The water in it seems motionless and resembles a mirror. It has such a smooth surface that sometimes it is mistaken for glass and even bags are placed.
Not far from it is an old chest, which also serves as a small table. It was made in the 13th century, and is used for storing the garment.
In the center under the dome is the middle cross - the central point of the cathedral. The intersection of the nave and transept, crowned by a hollow spire. Immediately in the central part are the choirs. Above the benches for noble persons are attached tablets with the names of those to whom the place is intended.
At the cathedral there is a body that compensates for the absence of domes.
Tombs and library
In the Salisbury Cathedral, as is customary in European churches, there are many tombs of priests and simply noble people of the city.
Here is the tomb of William Longspex (1226), the brother of King John of England, the tomb of Bishop Osmund and many others who contributed to the prosperity of the city and the cathedral, the townspeople and their families. Inside the cathedral, on its right, is Audley Chapel.
In 1445, the library building was added to the temple building. On his carved border depicted plots from the Old Testament. It is here that one of the surviving copies of the Magna Carta is stored - the first English legislative act restricting royal authority.
Internal galleries
The internal galleries of Salisbury Cathedral are the largest of all the cathedrals in England. You can walk along them for free, but you have to pay for the entrance to the cathedral itself.
There is a courtyard with green grass, but walking on it is prohibited. Care is taken after him.
Inside, behind the arched porticoes of the terraces, a variety of dolls are placed. They are made in human height and dressed up in English costumes of past times. So it seems that these are real kings, dukes and ladies in elegant dresses.
Noteworthy are ancient doors with embossed walkways and multi-colored light garlands hanging from them.
Thanks to the feeling of free space it is very easy to be here.
In the sacristy, which was built in the 13th century, there is a museum dedicated to the history of the royal regiments.
There is also a college of the Virgin Mary, where the widows of priests live. There is also a parish school.
About 1,000 tourists visit Salisbury Cathedral every year. Even people far from religion come here to see the walls and interior of the temple, which is very impressive. Indeed, in Europe there are very few such structures.