The Liberty of St Peter had it own laws, courts and prison. It contained the Archbishop's Palace and Cathedral and was governed by the Dean and Chapter of York. But things have changed greatly since medieval times. The Archbishop's Palace has disappeared, the walls and gates have come down and the area is now called the Minster Close. The Minster Close is still a little oasis of calm in a busy city, but nowadays visitors are welcome to come in and look around, to visit the Treasurer's House and St Williams College, Dean's Park and the Library and, of course, York Minster itself. This trail will explore the history and characters of this, the historic heart of York, and will take approximately 2 hours to complete.

History
The importance of the Minster Close stems back to Roman times. The legendary Roman 9th legion arrived here in AD71, and quickly began building a fortress as a defence against the local Celtic tribe, the Brigantes. The fortress of Eboracum, as the Romans called it, was designed to house the entire legion - up to 6,000 men and at its centre stood a huge headquarters building or Principia. It was here that Constantine the Great was proclaimed Emperor in AD306. In AD312 Constantine became the first Roman Emperor to declare religious tolerance throughout the Empire. It seems like a wonderful accident of history that the spot where Constantine was proclaimed Emperor later became the site for one of the greatest Christian cathedrals in Europe! The remains of the Roman Legionary Headquarters can be seen in the Minster's Undercroft, Treasury and Crypt, where visitors are taken through 2000 years of history.

In medieval times, life in the Minster Close was dominated by the Archbishop and the Dean and Chapter of York. The Minster Close was also home to the chantry priests, who lived in St William's College and the Vicars Choral, who sang in the Minster, and lived in the Bedern area, about 100 yards to the south east. Although their living quarters were outside the walled Minster Close, the Vicars Choral earned a degree of infamy in the city for getting drunk and starting fights before running back to the Minster Close to escape prosecution by the City authorities.

Eating and Shopping
The Minster Close is still a lively place today, with many shops and places to eat on College Street, Petergate, High Petergate and Goodramgate. The tearooms at the Treasurer's House offer freshly prepared food, baked on the premises, including many traditional Yorkshire recipes. In St William's College Restaurant homemade food is prepared daily from fresh ingredients with modern English and Mediterranean flavours. During the summer months there is pavement and courtyard seating where you can enjoy freshly ground coffee, a light snack or full meal in magnificent surroundings with the Minster towering above.

Services
The Dean and Chapter of York invite all visitors to attend a service at the Minster. Service times are usually:

Sunday
08:00 Holy Communion 10:00 Sung Eucharist 11:30 Choral Matins 16:00 Choral Evensong

Monday - Saturday
07:30 Matins 07:50 Holy Communion 12:30 Holy Communion (not on Saturdays) 17:00 Choral Evensong (said on Mondays)