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 Canterbury Cathedral, 11 The Precincts Canterbury, Co. Kent
A marvel of medieval gothic architecture, Canterbury Cathedral is the most prominent church building in England and an impressive World Heritage Site.
 Image © by Marek Bernat
Canterbury Cathedral as the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury is the most important cathedral in the Anglican faith. It was here in Kent that St Augustine arrived in 597 and converted the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. St Augustine built Canterbury ’s first church establishing it as the ecclesiastic centre in England and he as its first Archbishop was the country’s most prominent clergyman and these rankings remain today.
The most poignant moment in the Cathedral’s history happened in 1170 when the then Archbishop Thomas Beckett, was hacked to death by Henry II’s knights. Thomas Beckett was canonised a few years later and four years after his murder, Canterbury Cathedral was gutted by fire. After the cathedral was rebuilt in grand style to honour the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, it became one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Christendom, made famous by Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
The Cathedral’s architecture outlines the development of the English gothic style with sections of the building dating from the 12th 14th and 15th Century redevelopments. Bell Harry Tower the central tower dominates the city and the landscape for miles and inside Canterbury Cathedral is richly decorated underlining its importance and deep religious significance. The key feature is the ‘Altar of the Sword’s Point’, the spot where St Thomas Becket was martyred and the terminus of countless pilgrimages made for over 1000 years. It was here also that in 1982, the two most prominent figures in Christendom, the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury prayed for peace together. Among the many interesting tombs housed in Canterbury is that of the Black Prince marked by his grim effigy in full battle garb.
Around the Cathedral complex are peaceful cloisters, a grand chapter house and a wealth of interesting items and stories, a guided tour is a must.
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