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Canterbury Cathedral - Canterbury, Kent 

On the site of Canterbury Cathedral, Christian worship has flourished since Roman times. The Cathedral's first Archbishop was St. Augustine, who crowned King Ethelbert of Kent here in 597. The Anglo-Saxon church that St. Augustine knew was later sacked by the Danes during their frequent attacks and the then Archbishop, Alphege, was taken off by them for ransom. Alphege would not submit to others suffering for him and he was killed by his captors.

The old cathedral was finally destroyed by fire in 1067 and this gave the new Norman Archbishop, the energetic Lanfranc, the opportunity to rebuild in magnificent Romanesque style. A particular favourite of King William I, Lanfranc reorganised the attached monastery and built an imposing nave, dedicating the new cathedral to Christ Jesus the Saviour, as the Anglo-Saxon building had been, and as it still is today.

What remains of the Norman stonework visible today is, however, mostly the work of Lanfranc's successor, Anselm, one of the leading scholars of his time. It was Anselm who built the wonderful crypt underneath the choir. This highly atmospheric space is supported by massive stone pillars, topped by imaginatively carved capitals. The carving is characterised by a boldness and individuality that is immediate and joyful. By 1130, the huge Romanesque choir above the crypt had been completed, but forty years later, the history of the cathedral was to take a dramatic turn.

On 29 December 1170, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was famously murdered inside the cathedral by four of the king's knights. Henry II had once been close to Thomas, but they had quarreled over legal jurisdiction over the clergy and in a fit of anger, Henry had cried 'Who would rid me of this turbulent (or low-born) priest?' The knights, anxious to please their king, had ridden to Canterbury and struck Thomas down with their swords, cutting off the top of his head. Praying to his predecessor, St. Alphege, Thomas died a martyr and the cathedral became the centre of pilgrimage it still is today.

Although the magnificent gold and pink marble shrine to St. Thomas which was built here was destroyed in the Reformation, there is still a small altar on the actual site of the martyrdom. A modern sculpture of swords, tinged red, hangs above the altar and this dark corner of the cathedral remains a moving site for prayers. King Henry was so horrified at what had happened that he himself came to Canterbury the following year to do penance, enduring a scourging by all seventy monks in the chapter. Henry's actions were also politically motivated however, as the shrine and cult of St. Thomas grew.  By publicly repenting in this way he tried to ensure that the thousands of pilgrims flocking to Canterbury would not hold his actions against him. 

In 1174, another fire destroyed the whole of the new eastern end of the cathedral, but with revenues high from the pilgrims, the monks rebuilt on an even grander scale. They employed the French builder William de Sens, who pioneered at Canterbury the early Gothic style that became familiar up and down the country. He suffered an accident while working on the cathedral and was succeeded by William the Englishman, who completed the quire and added the Trinity Chapel. This is one of Canterbury's unusual features, a rounded east end, which in turn was rounded off again with the Corona. The now magnificent quire housed the shrine of St. Thomas, over the spot in the crypt below, where the original burial place had been. The translation of the saint's remains took place with tremendous pomp on 7 July 1220. Important visitors included Henry III, the Papal Nuncio and the Primate of France. Until 1537, this day was celebrated every year in Canterbury. Prestigious pilgrims left precious gifts, such as the Scottish royal crown, given by Edward I in 1299 (both a religious and political statement).

The steady income provided by the pilgrims meant that ever more beautiful decoration to the cathedral could be made. There are beautiful wall paintings and inlaid floors and an impressive sequence of twelfth century stained glass windows, incredibly vivid in colour. Eight of the original twelve windows survive. On a more practical note, a water tower was built by Prior Wibert during the twelfth century and it survives, together with an arcaded walkway on the north-east side of the cathedral.

Remains of Norman stonework

Other distinctive features are the Perpendicular arches and fan tracery of the cloisters, with their delicate and intricate stone work, the fine stone screen which separates the choir from the nave and the truly awesome chapter house - on a scale that reflects the importance and riches of the cathedral. In 1352, the Pope declared Canterbury the foremost see in England - a position it still holds in the Anglican faith. Reflecting this supremacy over its rivals, notably York, the cathedral building continued its up-dating and in 1377, the old Norman nave began to be demolished as a new, lighter Perpendicular nave took its place. The master builder behind this work was Henry Yevele, who had previously worked on Westminster Abbey. A century later, Henry's work was continued in the new, more decorative style exemplified in the delicate fan vaulting of the bell tower lantern, a delightful surprise when you reach the crossing.

In the Trinity Chapel, ether side of the site of St. Thomas' shrine, are two magnificent tombs. One is of alabaster and depicts Henry VI and his wife, Joan of Navarre and the other is of Henry's uncle, Edward, the Black Prince. This tomb is one of the most stunning that we have seen, depicting in incredible detail the evocative picture of this medieval chivalric ideal. Edward's surcoat, helmet and gauntlets are carefully displayed nearby, protected from the light. 

Under Henry VIII, Canterbury, as one of the richest and most powerful of the religious establishments in England, fell heavily to the sequestration of funds and destructive attacks. St. Thomas' shrine was destroyed and his bones cremated. A famous and fabulous jewel left by King Louis VII in honour of the great saint was seized by Henry VIII and turned into a ring. Further damage was done by Cromwellian troopers, who vandalised the remaining monuments and windows. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, repairs were made and new choir stalls added, as was the wooden door of the Christ Church gateway.

The cathedral's religious life continues to the present day, with services held amid the beautiful stonework. In 1982, Pope John Paul II visited this Anglican cathedral, one of the immensely long line of pilgrims, from King Henry II of England and King Louis VII of France through Chaucer's fictionalised portraits to the famous renaissance scholar Erasmus that stretched back in time to the twelfth century.

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