Why is the cathedral's ceiling important?

It has some of Europe's earliest rib vaults

Durham Cathedral Quiz: Norman Arches, Rib Vaults and St Cuthbert

This Durham Cathedral quiz steps inside the great Norman church above the River Wear. Play 10 interactive questions on its 1093 start, carved pillars with zigzag patterns, early rib vaults, St Cuthbert's shrine, the Venerable Bede in the Galilee Chapel, the sanctuary knocker, the prince-bishops, UNESCO status with the castle and Harry Potter filming.

Start Durham Cathedral Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Start
When was Durham Cathedral begun?
Style
Which architectural style is the cathedral?
Vault
Why is the cathedral's ceiling important?
Pillars
What patterns are carved on many pillars?
Saint
Whose shrine lies in the cathedral?
Bede
Whose tomb is in the Galilee Chapel?
Knocker
What did the bronze knocker on the door once offer?
Bishops
Which powerful rulers governed from Durham?
UNESCO
What is listed with the cathedral as a World Heritage Site?
Film
Which film series used the cloisters?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: When was Durham Cathedral begun?
Answer: 1093
It was built by the Normans.
Q2: Which architectural style is the cathedral?
Answer: Norman Romanesque
Massive round arches fill the nave.
Q3: Why is the cathedral's ceiling important?
Answer: It has some of Europe's earliest rib vaults
This pointed the way to Gothic.
Q4: What patterns are carved on many pillars?
Answer: Zigzags and spirals
They are huge and bold.
Q5: Whose shrine lies in the cathedral?
Answer: St Cuthbert
His body was brought from Lindisfarne.
Q6: Whose tomb is in the Galilee Chapel?
Answer: The Venerable Bede
He wrote a famous history of England.
Q7: What did the bronze knocker on the door once offer?
Answer: Sanctuary to fugitives
The original is now inside.
Q8: Which powerful rulers governed from Durham?
Answer: Prince-bishops
They had their own army and courts.
Q9: What is listed with the cathedral as a World Heritage Site?
Answer: Durham Castle
Both sit on the peninsula.
Q10: Which film series used the cloisters?
Answer: Harry Potter
Hogwarts scenes were shot there.

Norman Arches and the Shrine of St Cuthbert

Durham Cathedral rises on a rocky peninsula above the River Wear in northern England. The Normans began it in 1093, and its massive round arches and pillars carved with zigzags and spirals make it one of the finest Romanesque buildings in Europe.

Its stone ceiling has some of the earliest rib vaults in Europe on such a large scale, an innovation that pointed toward Gothic architecture. The cathedral holds the shrine of St Cuthbert, whose body was carried from Lindisfarne, and the tomb of the Venerable Bede lies in the Galilee Chapel.

A bronze sanctuary knocker once offered refuge to fugitives; the original is now inside. Durham was ruled by powerful prince-bishops. With Durham Castle, the cathedral became a World Heritage Site in 1986, and its cloisters appeared as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.

What This Quiz Teaches

Architecture fans will enjoy these questions.

When it was built
Which style it shows
Why its vaults matter
Whose tombs it holds
How it is recognized today

Did You Know?

Visitors can climb the central tower for views.
Durham University uses the castle as a college.
Monks once lived in buildings around the cloister.
The Lindisfarne Gospels were made for Cuthbert's community.
Evensong is sung in the cathedral most days.