What Does Minster Mean?

A Minster in English refers to a magnificent kind of church. This term is also used for a cathedral, such as York Minster and Southwell Minster. Lincoln Cathedral, and Ripon Cathedral, is also every now and then known by their previous title of Minster. On the other hand, when the term is used less indistinctly, it is an idealistic church.

This word is basically an Old English word, namely mynster or monastery, which comes from the Latin ministerium, the "office" or "service", the canonical hours, which was usually sung at set hours in the Minster. Thus Minster in the beginning was functional to the house of worship of a monastery or an episode: it was an abbot who presided in the Minster, somewhat than a bishop, as at a place of worship. Westminster Abbey is not considered to be the seat of the Bishop of London, whose seat is St Paul's Cathedral.