Canterbury Cathedral is a Gothic cathedral in Canterbury,
Kent, England. It is the oldest and most famous church in England and the seat
of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the spiritual leader of the worldwide
Anglican Communion. The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of
the most popular tourist destinations in England.
Let's backup a bit to see the inviting Cathedral gate we visitors encounter from the street. Just to the right is where you purchase tickets.
I find Canterbury Cathedral to be an impressive building
worth visiting regardless of faith or nationality. The structure alone is worthy
of appreciation, but of course, there’s so much more inside including amazing
windows, paintings, sculptures, and hundreds of years of European history. The
human stories linked to the church are rich in recurrent themes of jealousy,
greed, anger, and murder.
Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral on
December 29th, 1170. Four knights attacked and killed Becket, believing that
they were acting on the wishes of King Henry II. Becket had previously been
Henry's Chancellor. After becoming Archbishop, he protected the rights and
status of the church.
The death of Becket unnerved the king. The knights who did
the deed to curry the king's favour fell into disgrace. Several miracles were
said to occur at the tomb of the martyr. His murder and the reports of miracles
spread abroad, which led to a wave of pilgrimages to Canterbury and the
canonization of Becket in 1173.
Henry II was suspected of having been more deeply involved
in the murder than he let on. Eventually, Henry II had to atone for Becket’s
murder by allowing himself to be whipped by the monks of Canterbury.
In 1540, over 350 years after Thomas Becket's death, his
shrine was destroyed by agents of King Henry VIII.
Today, visitors can see the location of the original shine marked by a candle on the floor. A new memorial with a small altar beneath depicts ragged-edged swords hanging ominously above the sacred table. As you lean over the altar rail, you see “THOMAS” in a bloody font. A sign nearby tells us the sacred place was honoured in 1982 when Pope John Paul II prayed here with Archbishop Robert Runcie.
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| Original site of Thomas Becket shrine |
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| Thomas Becket Memorial site 2023 |
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| "Thomas" remembered |
1330 Edward, The Black Prince,
National Hero
Edward of Woodstock, known to
history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son
and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father and
so his son, Richard II, succeeded to the throne instead. Edward nevertheless
earned distinction as one of the most successful English commanders during the
Hundred Years' War, being regarded by his English contemporaries as a model of
chivalry and one of the greatest knights of his age. His reputation in France,
on the other hand, was one of brutality.
Edward was made Duke of Cornwall,
the first English dukedom, in 1337. He was guardian of the kingdom in his
father's absence in 1338, 1340, and 1342. He was created Prince of Wales in
1343 and at age 16, he was knighted by his father at La Hougue in 1346. In
1346, Prince Edward commanded the vanguard at the Battle of Crécy, his father
intentionally leaving him to win the battle. He took part in Edward III's 1349
Calais expedition. In 1355, he was appointed the king's lieutenant in Gascony,
and ordered to lead an army into Aquitaine on a chevauchée, during which he
pillaged Avignonet and Castelnaudary, sacked Carcassonne, and plundered
Narbonne.
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| Black Prince helmet-replica |
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| Black Prince shield- replica |
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| Gauntlets- replica |
In 1356, Prince Edward commanded the English army at the Battle of Poitiers, where he defeated a much larger French force. The French king, John II, was captured and held prisoner in England for the next 26 years. The Black Prince's victory at Poitiers made him a national hero in England.
In 1362, Prince Edward was created
Prince of Aquitaine, and he ruled the duchy for the next 14 years. He was a
popular ruler, and he was successful in defending Aquitaine from French
attacks. However, he was also a harsh ruler, and he was accused of cruelty and
of mismanaging the duchy's finances.
In 1367, Prince Edward married Joan
of Kent. They had two sons, Richard II and Edward of Angoulême. The Black
Prince's health began to decline in the early 1370s, and he died in 1376 at the
age of 45. He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral.
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| Replica of panel above The Black Prince's tomb |
Cathedral Chapels
Walking through the cathedral, I noticed several beautifully appointed chapels and others were more plain, perhaps respecting their purpose.
Anselm Chapel and window
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| Anselm Chapel 2023 |
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| Jesus' Chapel/ 2023 Geoffrey Sutton |
French Calvinist church continues at Canterbury following their exile from France more than 300 years ago.
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| Burial of Christ in the Chapel of Modern Saints and Martyrs |
The Warrior Chapel
The Monks' Chapter House
The windows and ceiling of the Chapter House offered the monks an awesome place to focus on the reading of a chapter from the Rule of St Benedict and conduct the business of the monastic community at Canterbury Cathedral. It dates from the 1300s and is located on the north side of the Cathedral and is the largest chapter house in England.
You may recognise a king or queen in the stained glass window panels.
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| Chapter House 2023/ Geoffrey Sutton |
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| Chapter House ceiling 2023/ Geoffrey Sutton |
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| Chapter house window/ 2023 Geoffrey Sutton |
Old Monastery Site outside Canterbury Cathedral
Here is a summary of key dates.
- 597: St. Augustine of Canterbury arrives in
England and establishes a cathedral in Canterbury.
- 604: Canterbury Cathedral is consecrated.
- 1070: Canterbury Cathedral is rebuilt in the
Norman style.
- 1170: Archbishop Thomas Becket is murdered in
Canterbury Cathedral.
- 1174: Canterbury Cathedral is damaged by fire.
- 1220: The Canterbury Tales tapestry is completed.
- 1534: Henry VIII breaks with the Catholic Church
and Canterbury Cathedral becomes a Protestant church.
- 1787: Canterbury Cathedral is restored.
- 1942: Canterbury Cathedral is bombed during World
War II.
- 1988: Canterbury Cathedral is designated a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
*****
Thomas Becket Sources:
Conversations with Bing edited and
amended by Geoffrey Sutton 19/05/2023.
Archbishop Thomas Becket is murdered - HISTORY.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-making-of-an-english-martyr.
British History in depth: Becket, the Church and Henry II -
BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/becket_01.shtml.
The complex legacy of Thomas Becket’s life and death.
https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/05/13/the-complex-legacy-of-thomas-beckets-life-and-death.
Murder in the Cathedral - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_in_the_Cathedral.
The Murder of Thomas Becket, 1170 - EyeWitness to History.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/becket.htm.
Thomas Becket: the murder that shook the Middle Ages.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/thomas-becket-murder-shook-middle-ages.
Murder of Thomas Becket | Schoolshistory.org.uk.
https://schoolshistory.org.uk/topics/british-history/plantagenets/murder-of-thomas-becket/.
Who killed Thomas Becket? | British Museum.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/who-killed-thomas-becket.
Who was Thomas Becket and why did he clash with the king?.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zrfm7yc/articles/zmc6m39.
Black Prince Sources:
Conversations with Bard and Bing
edited by Geoffrey Sutton, 19/05/2023
BBC - History - Edward, the Black
Prince. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/black_prince.shtml.
Edward The Black Prince | English
prince | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-the-Black-Prince.
Edward the Black Prince -
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Black_Prince.
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