Durham, Avignon and Prague can all be compared in the sense that they were settings for the rise of the Bishop warrior, which was a combination of ecclesiastical and civil power in the hands of one man, the Bishop of the area. This power did not derive from a King's grant or order, or from the authority of the pope. It came from a combination of buildings and the perceived authority, and the real might which these structures bestowed upon that man. The two structures were a large cathedral and a well built strong castle. Durham had these as well as an impregnable position along the River Wear. Both the castle and the cathedral were built from the same stone and were embedded right into the cliff faces which they appear to grow out of. This position was further strengthened  by the fact that a self-effacing holy man, St Cuthbert, from the Farne Islands, which are located off the Northumberland coast, died in 685 and was eventually buried here.    

His remains were smuggled around the countryside just one step in front of the raiding Vikings, before they finally made their way to Durham. At that time his tomb became one of the greatest centres of pilgrimage in all of Christendom. The castle and cathedral, as they stand today, were begun by the Normans after their successful invasion in 1066. They replaced the previous structure with the mighty fortress and cathedral. The Normans established

their authority throughout the land by the building of massive keeps or castles which could be easily defended and could radiate the Kings authority throughout the surrounding area. The cathedral used the newer Norman architecture which incorporated ribbed vaulted roofs with ornate massive columns to support the roof.

This was the harbinger of the Gothic building style which would soon replace it throughout Europe. In the 1500's the Cathedral avoided the fate of many monastic lands and structures as Henry the VIII's reformation swept the country.

It also avoided drastic alteration or destruction during the reign of the Puritans after the Civil War. St Cuthbert's tomb lies just behind the high Altar in the cathedral and pieces of wood from the coffin, material form his vestments and saint's jeweled cross remain as some of the most prized possessions of the cathedral. Also buried in the cathedral is Bede who was really the father of English history and had left us with his great work about Anglo Saxon England.

As one climbs the steep difficult path up the steep hill side to a small plateau which separates the cathedral form the castle.