Aside from the Duke University, the Durham Cathedral on the Duke campus in Durham, North Carolina is one of the sights bustling with tourists all year round.
And no wonder: it looks more of a castle out of the middle ages rather than a functioning, modern cathedral.
Such a fine architectural structure has its secrets and many stories as well. Apart from it’s compelling architecture, there are some interesting things about it we wanted to share with our readers…
The Black Line
Today, tourists can be found all over the cathedral. Some come with tourist guides while some take their time admiring the architecture of the ceiling while sitting on the pews. Flashback to 500 years ago, this scene is highly different. Back then, when it served as a Benedictine monastery, there is a line where no woman should ever cross.
A black line across the floor signifies how far women are allowed to go as they are considered as distractions to the monks. No matter what status the woman has, she still had to follow the rules. It was only in 1539 that the rule was not followed anymore.
The Missing Figurines
The Neville screen found behind the altar is an impressive sight. It is made of French stone carved by a team of workmen. The screen has 107 plinths but the pivotal pieces that should be on them are all missing.
It is said that the monks hid all the 107 figurines to prevent it from being taken away by the king’s men. The figurines were made of white alabaster, which is valuable so they were hidden. No one knows where they are and if they survived after all this time in storage.
A Higher Throne
Cathedrals have a throne for the bishop and the one found here is the highest in Christendom. It is said that Bishop Hatfield specifically instructed his monks to measure the throne of the Pope at the Vatican. He then instructed the throne in the cathedral to be an inch higher than that. Until today, it is still the highest throne.
