What is the difference between a Cathedral and a Minster? [closed]

Solution 1:

OED s.v. Minster 2.a.:

The church of a monastery; a church having its origin in a monastic establishment. More generally: any large or important church, esp. a collegiate or cathedral church. Also more fully minster church.

Both minster and abbey refer to certain large church buildings’ origins as monastic churches. And no, the Borough of Westminster is so named after the monastic foundation that was once there.

When the monasteries of England were dissolved during the reign of Henry VIII, and afterwards, many of their larger churches were retasked as Anglican cathedrals; a church is an Anglican cathedral if it is the official home church of an Anglican bishop, complete (usually) with the bishop’s throne or cathedra. (Other monastic lands and buildings were given by that old pirate Henry VIII to his cronies, with the result that some of the “Stately ’Omes of England” have “Abbey” in their names—including some so called merely pretentiously, a matter of joke near the beginning of Act II of Shaw’s Mrs Warren’s Profession).

Whether one of these retasked church edifices continues to be termed “Minster” or is just termed “Cathedral” seems to be up to the vagaries of local custom.

To clarify the answer:

A Minster is a Church that has priest(s) that administer to and visit the parishioners. It is open to the public for worship.

A Cathedral is a Church in which the throne of an Archbishop is located.

An Abbey was originally a Church that was used exclusively by monks. It was not open to the public for worship.

In London Westminster Abbey is complemented by St Paul's Cathedral. York Minster is both a Cathedral and a Minster.

Solution 2:

Minster is an honorific title specific to some churches in England, while Cathedral refers specifically to the 'church' where a Bishop resides.

Minster:

Minster is an honorific title given to particular churches in England, most famously York Minster in York, Westminster in London and Southwell Minster in Southwell. The term minster is first found in royal foundation charters of the 7th century. Although it corresponds to the Latin monasterium or monastery,t then designated any settlement of clergy living a communal life and endowed by charter with the obligation of maintaining the daily office of prayer.

Cathedral:

A cathedral (French cathédrale from Latin. cathedra, "seat" from the Greek kathedra (καθέδρα), seat, bench, from kata "down" + hedra seat, base, chair) is a Christian church which contains the seat of a bishop,1 thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate