A MEDIAEVAL church of the first rank is one of the greatest things the world has ever seen. This, however, is as true of a secular as of a monastic church, and it would be a futile task to compare, from the point of view of grandeur, the secular Salisbury, Wells, Exeter, Lichfield, Lincoln, York, with the monastic Canterbury, Winchester, Worcester, Ely, Norwich, Durham. On the whole the former have been more rebuilt than the latter. Of no secular church of the first rank can it be said that it remains substantially what it was in Norman times, but, to a great extent, Winchester, Norwich, Durham still date from the eleventh or twelfth century. A discussion of the reasons which led to the erection of all these great churches would be a lengthy one. Motives were mixed, as in so many other things, and there can be no doubt that local rivalry and superstition played their part. There can be no question, however, that the ideal set before the builders was a great house for the glory of God. The population of the neighbourhood had little to do with the problem: it has never been possible to fill with local people some of the parish churches of Norfolk villages. This is even more true of the church of a great monastery. Much, if not all, of the building was reserved for the monks, who may never have reached a hundred in number.