15 Craziest Medieval Buildings

Stay tuned to learn about some of the most impressive medieval structures around, including castles that were built nearly one thousand years and a cathedral that, for centuries was the world’s tallest building.

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8. Wells Cathedral
When the present Wells Cathedral was constructed sometime around 1175, it was the first cathedral to be built entirely using the new Gothic Style that was brought from France. The first phase of building took around eight decades to complete. 300 statues that were built during its original construction remain to this day. Architects and observes widely recognize the Wells Cathedral as one of the most beautiful of all of the English Cathedrals.

7. Guildhall of London
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of London’s Guildhall is its breathtaking medieval great hall which is regularly used for grand ceremonies. The building was undertaken in 1411 and completed in 1440. The Great Fire of London in 1666 didn’t affect the Guildhall too much, though partial restoration from slight damage would be required.

6. Eltz Castle
Amazingly, this castle is still owned by a branch of the same family that lived there in the eleven hundred's a full 33 generations ago, the Eltz family. In 1268 the Eltz brothers had a dispute, and the family split the castle in three, with each sibling building their own fortified living quarters. These separate building co-existed for hundreds of years. Finally, in the early 1800's, the House of the Golden Lion had outlived the other families and was prosperous enough to unify the castle.

5. Mont Saint Michel Abbey
Today, the medieval island community of Mont Saint Michel has an epic Abbey at its apex and is connected to France’s coast via a single 2500 foot highway and footbridge. It's one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country and millions visit annually. In medieval times the monastery protected the French from the invading English repeatedly during the Hundred Years’ War and thanks to state of the art fortifications for its time was never seized. After the French Revolution, the island became nothing more than a dilapidated prison until prominent figures like author Victor Hugo launched a recovery campaign. Their efforts were rewarded when the prison closed in 1863 and again when Mont Saint Michel was declared a historical monument in 1874. Restoration efforts have been ongoing for years and have made the island an extremely impressive, beautiful site.

4. Lincoln Cathedral
One of the most impressive Gothic structures on the planet Lincoln Cathedral lies in the town of Lincoln, England. Bishop Remigius started work on the Cathedral in 1072. An earthquake would partially destroy the Cathedral in 1124 leaving only the West Front, which has been preserved to this day. When a replacement tower with a spire was added to the Lincoln Cathedral, it became the tallest building in the world and would hold this title for the next 238 years until the spire collapsed in 1549. It was not rebuilt.

3. Westminster Abbey
One of the most iconic buildings in the world Westminster Abbey has been the setting of every royal coronation since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, has seen at least 16 royal weddings, and is the resting place of 17 English monarchs. King Henry the third rebuilt the Abbey starting in 1245 and chose it to be his burial site. Today Westminster Abbey attracts over a million visitors every year.

2. Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle has served the British royal family for over one thousand years, making it the oldest occupied castle in all of England. When constructed in the eleventh century it was simple and made of wood. King Henry the first favored the castle and started a gradual reconstruction process that would turn Windsor Castle into one of the most expensive buildings in the Middle Ages. A humongous fire in 1992 destroyed large portions of the castle, but it was rebuilt into the magnificent specimen that it is today.

Wow Windsor Castle is absolutely massive. If you’ve made it this far than you’re really into medieval building which is great because so are we. Leave a cool comment and we may shout you out by name in our next video and, as always, thanks for watching.

1. Notre Dame de Paris
While Victor Hugo was busy saving Mont Saint Michel Abbey from the destructive nature of time he was also writing about another of the continent’s most impressive medieval structures, Notre Dame. The cathedral lies in Paris and is widely considered the most impressive feat of French Gothic architecture ever erected. It’s one of the most well-known churches on Earth. The cathedral treasury contains a reliquary which houses some of the most valuable objects of Catholicism including the Crown of Thorns and a portion of the True Cross.

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