点评:I visited Durham Cathedral with my girlfriend earlier this year and I can honestly say that it's an absolute masterpiece. Originally built in the late 11th/early 12th century, it has been in continuous use for over 900 years and it remains an important example of Norman architecture as much of it has been preserved to this day. Some of the most interesting features of the cathedral are the pointed arches, the nave vault, the shrine of St. Cuthbert, patron saint of Northumbria, and the tomb of the Venerable Bede, a famous scholar of British church history. It's also worth noting Prior Castel's Clock, installed in the late 15th/early 16th century, and the Neville Screen, commissioned by Lord John Neville in the late 14th century. The cathedral sits next to Durham Castle, a Norman fortress built to fend off the attacks of Scottish soldiers, which is now part of Durham University. There is no entry fee, but given the significant cost of maintaining the cathedral, my girlfriend and I each donated £5.
Because of its distinctive architecture, the cathedral has been used as a filming location in many films and TV series, including the first two Harry Potter films. The cathedral's beauty has been celebrated by various British writers over the centuries, but personally I feel most moved by the following words from the journals of the celebrated American author Nathaniel Hawthorne:
"I paused upon the bridge, and admired and wondered at the beauty and glory of this scene...it was grand, venerable, and sweet, all at once; I never saw so lovely and magnificent a scene, nor, being content with this, do I care to see a better."
翻译:我今年早些时候和女朋友一起参观了达勒姆大教堂,我可以诚实地说它绝对是一件杰作。它最初建于 11 世纪末/12 世纪初,已连续使用了 900 多年,它仍然是诺曼建筑的重要典范,因为它的大部分内容保存至今。大教堂的一些最有趣的特征是尖拱、中殿拱顶、诺森布里亚守护神圣卡斯伯特的神龛,以及英国教会历史著名学者尊者比德的陵墓。同样值得注意的是 15 世纪末/16 世纪初安装的普赖尔卡斯特尔钟,以及约翰内维尔勋爵在 14 世纪末委托制作的内维尔屏风。大教堂毗邻达勒姆城堡,这是一座诺曼堡垒,为抵御苏格兰士兵的袭击而建,现在是达勒姆大学的一部分。教堂免费入场,但考虑到维护成本高昂,我和女友每人捐赠了5英镑。
由于其独特的建筑风格,这座教堂曾被许多电影和电视剧用作拍摄地,包括前两部《哈利·波特》电影。几个世纪以来,英国许多作家都曾赞颂过这座教堂的美丽,但我个人最感动的是著名美国作家纳撒尼尔·霍桑日记中的一段话:
“我驻足桥上,欣赏并惊叹于这景色的美丽与辉煌……它既宏伟、庄严,又温馨,集所有一切于一身;我从未见过如此美丽壮丽的景色,我已满足于此,不愿再寻觅更美的景象。”