Canterbury
The ecclesiastic capital of England , Canterbury is an ancient town of high rank that is totally dominated by its impressive medieval cathedral.
Canterbury is situated along a prehistoric route that links London with the southeast coast and was the terminus of the Pilgrim’s Way an ancient pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral , famously recounted in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
The Romans first established a walled garrison at Canterbury, known as Durovernum in AD 43. After their withdrawal, the Anglo-Saxon settlers came in the 5th Century and renamed the area Cantwarabyrig, ‘the stronghold of the Men of Kent’.
Christianity came in 597 when St Augustine converted the men of Kent. Canterbury became the main religious centre for England and Augustine the first Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest rank in the English Church; Augustine built the first cathedral, which was rebuilt in 1067 following a fire. When in 1170, archbishop Thomas Becket was gruesomely martyred in Canterbury Cathedral by King Henry II’s knights and canonised two years later, Canterbury became one of Christendom’s chief places of pilgrimage.
Canterbury’s status saved it from destruction during the Reformation and the see of Canterbury is the centre of the Church of England and Anglicanism throughout the World. As such Canterbury Cathedral draws modern day pilgrims and visitors in huge numbers and is a fabulous sight of gothic towers and historic artefacts.
The town of Canterbury itself is an architectural mix; of Elizabethan timber fronted buildings around West Gate and the medieval structure of St Augustine’s Abbey and more modernly designed buildings put up following extensive bombing in WWII.
As a town and cathedral of such magnitude and elegance, Canterbury ranks very highly among England’s heritage sites and is simply a must for any visit to England.
