York Minster contains the famous medieval stained-glass lancets known as the Five Sisters.
The Five Sisters are five tall, narrow lancet windows in the north transept of York Minster. They were made around 1260, making them among the cathedral’s most important surviving examples of 13th-century grisaille glass. Their restrained gray-toned geometric patterns contrast with the brighter narrative windows elsewhere in the building.
The windows are unusual because their repeated design emphasizes height and rhythm rather than presenting a sequence of large biblical figures. During the First World War, the Five Sisters became associated with remembrance, and a memorial was later dedicated to women of the British Empire who died in that conflict.
“Five Sisters” refers to the group of five lancets, not five separate chapels or saints. York Minster also contains the Great East Window, but that is a different medieval glazing project and should not be confused with the Five Sisters.