Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral, Cathedral House, 11 The Precincts, Canterbury,
Kent, CT1 2EH. Tel +44(0) 1227-762862, Fax +44(0) 1227-865222. Email:
enquiries@canterbury-cathedral.org
Website
Even if Thomas à Becket had chosen somewhere else to earn his
martyr's crown, Canterbury would still deserve attention for its role
in the spread of Christianity throughout England. It was here that St.
Augustine began the conversion of the pagan islanders in 597. Nothing
remains of the Saxon church, for after the Norman conquest Archbishops
Lanfranc and Anselm rebuilt it on a more lavish scale. Of this first
Norman church the crypt, the southeastern tower, and the eastern transept
still stand. In 1170 Becket met his death in the north transept of the
crossing at the hands of four knights seeking to curry favour with Henry
II, who had quarelled with the Archbishop. Immediately afterwards miracles
began to be reported at Becket's tomb, and when the church suffered
a major fire in 1172 it provided an excuse for rebuilding and making
the cathedral a fitting shrine for the recent martyr.
The rebuilding was entrusted to William of Sens, who brought with him
a mastery of the new French style, which we now call "Gothic".
In 1179 William of Sens fell from scaffolding above the high altar and
was so badly injured that he was forced to retire and leave the project
in the capable hands of his assistant, a man known to us only as William
the Englishman. Becket's shrine was finished in 1220, and for another
300 years it was the most popular place of pilgrimage in England (see
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales).
In the 14th century Lanfranc's nave was rebuilt by Henry Yeveley, called
the greatest architect of late medieval England. Yeveley pushed the
nave to the height of the chancel, creating a vast, upward-reaching
hall. In 1496 the "Bell Harry" central tower was added. Henry
VIII's men despoiled Becket's tomb during the Dissolution of the Monasteries,
carting away 26 wagon loads of valuables and scattering the bones of
the saint.
Rochester Tel 01634 401301, Website
Although it is overshadowed by its near neighbour Rochester Castle,
the cathedral has a fascinating history. Second only to Canterbury in
age (the see was established in 604). For all its early history, the
cathedral as we see it is mostly 12th century. The west door is a notable
example of Romanesque sculpture. Rochester became an important pilgrimage
centre in the 13th century when William of Perth, a Scot on his way
to the Holy Land, was murdered there, and miracles were reported at
his tomb. The pilgrims paid for the choir and presbytery. Rochester
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