20th century[edit]
Durham World Heritage marker
In 1986, the cathedral, together with the nearby Castle, became a World Heritage Site. The UNESCO committee classified the cathedral under criteria C (ii) (iv) (vi), reporting, "Durham Cathedral is the largest and most perfect monument of 'Norman' style architecture in England".[19]
In 1996, the Great Western Doorway was the setting for Bill Viola's large-scale video installation The Messenger.
Interior views of the cathedral were featured in the 1998 film Elizabeth.
21st century[edit]
Durham Cathedral has been featured in the Harry Potter films as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where it had a spire digitally added onto the top of the famous towers. It is also featured in Season 5's last episode of Inspector George Gently.
Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank selected the cathedral as one of his four choices for the 2002 BBC television documentary series Britain's Best Buildings.[20]
In November 2009 the cathedral featured in a son et lumière festival whose highlight was the "Crown of Light"[21] illumination of the North Front of the cathedral with a 15-minute presentation that told the story of Lindisfarne and the foundation of cathedral, using illustrations and text from the Lindisfarne Gospels. The Lumiere Festival was repeated in 2011 and 2013 and is scheduled to be repeated in November 2015.[22]