Twenty-NineThe Cathedral of the Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin is probably the masterpiece of Anglo-Norman architecture and dominates the old English town of Durham. From its position on the hill, the river and entire countryside are visible. Durham Cathedral was begun in 1093 and not wholly completed for four hundred years. Work on the more elaborate York Ministry began when Durham had already assumed recognizable form and took two centuries to complete. The foundation for Notre Dame du Paris was laid in 1163 and the nave and towers were completed a mere ninety years later, but the chapels and other embellishments took a further century to consummate. Notre Dame at Chartres was begun in 1145, almost entirely destroyed by fire fifty years later, and rebuilt almost from top to
