The photo below depicts the West doors. (We won't mention that incongruous station-of-the cross picture to the right as the Minster is a working church and we all have our crosses to bear). As you can see, the doors are somewhat puny for the west entrance of the grandest cathedral north of the Alps. However, unlike most cathedrals, York's main entrance is not the West but the South door (which allows better entrance from the town proper).
Between doorposts on the west wall (underneath the great West window) stands St. Peter for whom the churches on this site have been named since the first stone church was erected in 637. It's title today is the "Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St. Peter in York." The term Minster is Anglo-Saxon for a missionary teaching church. Since the Archbishop of York has his throne here (called a Cathedra), York Minster is also a Cathedral. We'll see his cathedra in the choir in a few slides. I don't know what Metropolitical means but Religiopolitical would typically be a better word for what often goes on in places such as this.
Here's a close-up of the trefoil above St. Peter's head just below the Great West Window and a bit of the steeple-ish sculpture that caps his statue: The glass appears to be restored with clear panes for the missing pieces.
Here's a close-up of St. Peter holding his key; usually he's depicted with two keys (as in the Papal shield). What's in the book is unknown, maybe it's a list of who's been naughty or nice. The statue was created by George Bodley in 1906 (he also added the nave's flying buttresses to the Minster's exterior, perhaps a bit late?) The statue was painted and gilded in 1944.
