71 Magnificent Canterbury Cathedral Facts For Budding Historians!

Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most well-known churches in England.

In the year 597, a group of monks led by St. Augustine landed in Kent. The monks were sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great on a mission to spread Christianity.

Canterbury Cathedral is around 1,425 years old. It is one of England's most well-known Christian structures, and one of the historic landmarks.

St Augustine, a missionary who landed in Kent in 597 CE, was the first Archbishop of Canterbury. UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Britain include the cathedral, the Church of St. Martin, and the ruins of St Augustine's monastery.

Have you enjoyed reading these facts about this historic cathedral? To learn more about its importance, its architecture, as well as some important events that happened here, read on!

Importance Of Canterbury Cathedral

The cathedral's history is closely related to church history and the history of England, and it has been called 'England in Stone'. Here are some facts about Canterbury Cathedral's importance:

• In December 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was assassinated at the altar and later became a martyr.
• After a quarrel with King Henry II, the archbishop was killed by four knights in the cathedral.
• In the Middle Ages, the cathedral held enormous religious and political importance, and its value as a pilgrimage skyrocketed with the death of Thomas Becket.
• The structure is about 236 ft (72 m) high, stands in the heart of the city, and can be seen from far away.
• This beautiful structure is probably best known as the scene of Archbishop Thomas Becket's assassination in 1170.
• The Trinity Chapel was built to hold the shrine of St. Thomas Becket and is the tallest part of the cathedral that anyone can see.
• It is believed that the shrine was made of marble and decorated in gold and expensive jewels, and is quite spectacular.
• The 'Miracle Windows' is the other name given to the stained-glass windows that surround the outside of the chapel and it is believed that they tell stories of miracles that have been claimed to have occurred shortly after St. Thomas was murdered.
• The Angel Steeple is the name that was given to the western tower arches.
• The crypt in Canterbury is an important aspect of the church and is located beneath Trinity chapel, famous as Thomas Becket's original burial place.

Rebuilding Of Canterbury Cathedral

The first Canterbury Cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1067, and the complete church was rebuilt in the Romanesque style between 1070 and 1077. Read on for some more facts about the rebuilding of the cathedral:

• The first Norman archbishop, Lanfranc, began rebuilding the cathedral in 1070.
• After a fire in 1174, the east end was greatly enlarged and rebuilt in the gothic style.
• Cash from pilgrims who visited Becket's shrine, which was seen as a place of healing, helped to pay for the cathedral's, and its adjacent buildings', renovation.
• The Norman naves lasted until the 14th century when they were removed to make place for the current buildings.
• Frenchman William of Sens was chosen as head architect to restore the quire.
• William of Sens was succeeded by one of his assistants, known as 'William the Englishman', after he was injured in a fall from scaffolding in 1179.
• Everything else has been rebuilt with pointed arches, flying buttresses, and rib vaulting in the new gothic style.
• Around 1175, work on the iconic stained-glass windows began and was finalized around 1220.
• From 1413 - '25, the south-west tower was restored.
• From 1455 - '59, the porch was restored and, in 1862, it was decorated with statues of prominent archbishops.
• In 1455, a sculpted quire screen was created. Between 1490 and 1498, the new 235 ft (71.6 m) Bell Harry tower was built.
• With the construction of Christ Church gate, the cathedral was completed around 1510.
• The current gate was built in 1517 to replace one that had been constructed in 1200, which had been followed by a much earlier gate.
• The north-west tower, which was deemed to be unsafe in the early 19th century, was removed in the early 1830s and rebuilt as a replica of the south-west tower, called the 'Arundel Tower'.
• During the Second World War, the cathedral library was destroyed, but it was reconstructed in 1954.
• The north transept apse was rebuilt, while the south transept apse was modified to make space for the chapel.
• On the site of Thomas Becket's assassination, a new Martyrdom Altar was built in the north-west transept.

The Architecture Of Canterbury Cathedral

Cathedral architecture goes back to roughly the year 312. The architecture of Canterbury Cathedral is particularly interesting, with its connection to Rome, secret geometry, and the presentation of saintly relics. Find out some more fascinating facts about the cathedral's architecture below:

• The pillars and main domes of Canterbury Cathedral, in particular, are the most important features.
• The cathedral has gone through phases of domed buildings and pillars, as well as periods of nave-floor extension.
• The first portion of the cathedral was designed as a Roman church, and the second half was built in the gothic style.
• The cathedral has an amazing structure that stretches more than 500 ft (152.4 m) in length.
• Bell Harry's stunning symmetrical ceiling is one of ancient architecture's great glories, created for the 'Greater Glory of God'.
• The exquisite fan arches seen inside Bell Harry Tower are one of the outstanding sections of the cathedral.
• The Normans used milky-white Caen stone brought from France to construct the cathedral.
• However, after a few decades, Caen stone was no longer available. Instead, lepine, a comparable limestone from a quarry near Poitiers, was used.
• Perpendiculargothic is the architectural style that is used in the nave.

Important Events That Happened In Canterbury Cathedral

We have already found out many absorbing facts about the cathedral, such as Thomas Becket's martyrdom at Canterbury Cathedral. Read on to find out more below:

• Becket, who served as Royal Chancellor and then as Archbishop of Canterbury, was one of the most prominent individuals of his day.
• Initially, a good friend of King Henry II, the two men got into a terrible feud that ended with Becket's unexpected assassination by knights with deep ties to the king.
• Many believed King Henry II was involved in the assassination, therefore he walked barefoot from neighboring Harbledown to the cathedral to offer penance.
• The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury is the official name of the structure.
• The word 'cathedral' comes from the Latin word for chairs, 'cathedra', which is derived from the Greek word 'kathedra', which means seat.
• People have been visiting the cathedral for more than 1,400 years to pray, and meet for events and ceremonies, as well as to just look at its amazing architecture.
• In the 1070s the Normans, led by Archbishop Lanfranc, rebuilt the cathedral.
• Becket was Canterbury's second archbishop to be assassinated, following the Anglo-Saxon Alphege.
• The current Trinity Chapel, which is a large addition, was built to replace the earlier, square-ended eastern chapel. It was built to hold the shrine of St. Thomas Becket.
• On July 7, 1220, the remains of St. Thomas were transferred from the crypt in a spectacular translation ceremony.
• Pilgrims had begun to flock to the shrine of St. Thomas, which had been set up behind the cathedral's high altar and was said to be a place of miraculous healing.
• In the late 1100s and early 1200s, the cathedral's famous medieval stained-glass windows were made.
• During the Second World War, the cathedral was heavily bombed, and its library was damaged but reconstructed in 1954.
• Thomas Becket's shrine was destroyed in 1538 during King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, and his bones were destroyed. The infamous king also ordered that Becket's name should henceforth never be mentioned.
• During the 1830s, the initial north-west tower was modified. This was the cathedral's final major structural change.
• In 1990, the statue of Christ was replaced with Klaus Ringwald's bronze sculpture of Christ.
• The cathedral hosts the University of Kent's and Cathedral Christ Church University's graduation ceremonies.
• The cathedral is primarily made of Caen stone. Caen limestone was brought over by William the Conqueror and used to build Canterbury Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London.
• Lanfranc, who was chosen as Archbishop of Canterbury by William the Conqueror in 1070, ordered the Norman cathedral to be built.
• Canterbury Cathedral is one of England's ancient structures, with parts dating back to the sixth century.
• There are 25 boy choirs and 12 adult clerks in the cathedral choir.
• Canterbury Cathedral has three towers, comprising the south-west and north-west towers, which have a total of 21 bells.
• Bell Harry is the cathedral's oldest bell and rests in a cage above the central tower, which carries the bell's name.
• Every day, a 17th-century bell is rung to open and close the church.
• In the nave, you will find the cathedral's oldest window. The window portrays Adam digging in the Garden of Eden and it is about 850 years old.
• The stained-glass windows are also known as Miracle Windows.
• Bossanyi's windows are the cathedral's latest windows and were built in the '50s to replace those that were damaged during the Second World War.
• A sanctuary in the shape of St. Thomas Becket's head and shoulders was previously kept in the Corona Chapel.
• Canterbury Cathedral is the result of 900 years of construction and restoration, which began in 1070 and has been completed at intervals since then.
• Many other structures are located within the cathedral precinct, including a school, a number of homes, a conference center, and a palace.
• Sarah Mullally and Rachel Treweek, the cathedral's first female bishops, were appointed in 2015.