The word is derived from Latin monasterium and was used for the church belonging to a monastery or a chapter[?]. In the United Kingdom there are: York Minster, Beverley Minster, Southwell Minster[?], Wimborne Minster, Peterborough Minster[?], Reading Minster[?], Sunderland Minster[?], Iwerne Minster[?], Stow Minster[?], Dewsbury Minster[?], Berkeley Minster[?], Tewkesbury Minster[?], South Elmham Minster[?], Howden Minster[?], St. Botolf's Minster[?] (Iken, Suffolk).
In the case of the Minster at Ulm, Germany, it was used for a particularly prosperous parish church boasting a plethora of clergy.
In other places in Europe, "minster" has become simply a historical term for a particular church, e.g. the minsters of Strasbourg (France); Basel and Bern (Switzerland); Bonn, Essen, Freiburg, Aachen, Hameln, Doberan (all Germany).
See also: Munster (disambiguation) for many related place names (includes Minster, Münster).
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