Selby Abbey is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, is one of the biggest. It was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family. Selby Abbey contains a rare and famous feature: a 14th century Washington Window. The window shows three red stars above two red bands on a white shield which are the charges on the Washington family Arms and the model for the American flag: the Stars and Stripes. It was General George Washington, later President George Washington, 1st President of the United States of America, who held this coat of arms which became the footprint for the creation of a new flag for the newly formed country.