Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest Christian churches
in England and it continues to play a central role in English Christianity.
Originally founded in 602 AD by St. Augustine, it still functions as the
cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the worldwide Anglican
Communion. Canterbury was an important spiritual center ever since Augustine,
but it became a major pilgrimage destination after the martyrdom of St. Thomas
Becket in 1170.
The grandeur of the architecture reflects Canterbury's
historic and religious importance, as does the magnificent collection of
medieval stained glass windows depicting miracles experienced at Thomas'
shrine, biblical scenes, prophets and saints. A monastery was also established
in connection with the cathedral. Around 750 AD, A baptistery-mausoleum was added to the north of the church, but none of this survives.
In 1093, a man named Anselm became Archbishop of Canterbury. Most notably, Anselm built
the huge and beautifully decorated crypt beneath the east end, which still
survives fully intact. An extensive choir with ambulatory, consecrated in 1130,
was then built over the crypt.Critical to the history of Canterbury Cathedral
was the murder of St. Thomas Becket on Tuesday, December 29, 1170, by order of
King Henry II. The king later performed penance there in 1174. On September 5
of that same year, the great Romanesque choir was devastated by a fire.
During World War II, the cathedral's beautiful stained glass
windows were removed for safekeeping from Hitler's air raids. It was a wise
decision - the replacement windows were blown in. A large area of the town of
Canterbury was destroyed, as was the cathedral library, but the main body of
the cathedral remained intact. You can still visit Canterbury Cathedral today, it is one of the worlds most visited places.
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