Canterbury Cathedral, England

Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest Christian churches in England and the seat of Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England and religious leader of the Church of England. The Cathedral is located near the center of Canterbury and is a part of the World Heritage Site of Canterbury. It is perhaps best known for being the site of the murder of Thomas Becket and the burial site of Edward, the Black Prince.

Canterbury Cathedral was founded by St Augustine who arrived in Canterbury in year 597 as a missionary and was the Cathedral's first Archbishop. The original Cathedral was rebuilt by the Saxons but it was severely damaged in the fire of 1174. The Cathedral was after the fire rebuilt in Gothic style and went through several reconstruction works over the following centuries. The original Norman Northwest Tower was replaced with a Perpendicular style twin of the Southwest tower in the 19th century. The Neo-Gothic Library and Archives were destroyed by the Germans during World War II but the Cathedral itself was not seriously damaged.

The Cathedral community was reorganized as Benedictine Abbey in 10th century during the reforms of Archbishop St Dunstan who was buried on the south side of the High Altar. The Benedictine monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540 and responsibility for the services was given to group of clergy known as the Dean and Chapter. The head of the Canterbury Cathedral is since then the Dean who is currently the Very Reverend Robert Willis.

Canterbury Cathedral, England

Categories