On the southeastern coast of England, in the county of Kent, majestically rises the most famous and oldest Gothic building in this region, a legacy from the time of Christianity - the Canterbury Cathedral (the official name is the Cathedral and the Metropolitan Church in Canterbury). This temple, a photo of which testifies to power and strength, has served as a center for Christians of England for hundreds of years.
To this day, this wonderful architectural monument has retained its flavor and serves as the residence of the head of the Church of England and the Anglican community - the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The story begins
Canterbury Cathedral is proud of its long history, which dates back to the time when the Romans did not set foot on the British Isles . In that distant era there was a pagan temple. After the Romans visited the island, the place of sacrifice turned into a pagan sanctuary (this happened around the 5th century).
Pope Gregory I wanted to spread Christianity here: in connection with this, the former head priest of the St. Andrew’s monastery in Rome, Augustine of Canterbury, was ordered to organize a mission to the British Isles, the purpose of which was to eradicate paganism and spread Christianity.
The missionary’s trip in 597 resulted in the Canterbury Cathedral, founded at his direction in honor of the heavenly patron Jesus Christ. In addition, a monastery of saints Peter and Paul was erected outside the city walls, later renamed in honor of Augustine. The bishops of the city were buried here.
First destruction
The cathedral in question (in England it is also called the Canterbury Cathedral) has been rebuilt more than once. So, after some reconstructions, outwardly, he became like the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. In the X century, a Benedictine monastery arose near a religious building .
The beginning of the XI century left a sad mark in the history of the cathedral - it was significantly destroyed by the Vikings, it was not possible to restore it. Suddenly attacking Danes captured and later killed Archbishop Alfage, who became the first of the Canterbury martyr archbishops.
The final point in the history of the center of Christianity of that period in the British Isles was set by a fire that occurred half a century later.
New breath of the cathedral
And 3 years after the disaster, in 1070, the construction of a new temple began on the site of a burnt religious building. The first Norman archbishop Lanfranc, who held this post for 7 years, supervised the construction.
The Canterbury Cathedral, whose photo shows how much the new building looked like the monastery of St. Stephen in France, where he was previously rector, received a new life. Even a stone for construction was brought from the archbishop's homeland. The year 1077 was marked by the consecration of the newly erected center of Christians and was open to visitors.
The first blood in the name of religion
Canterbury Cathedral has experienced many events of its time. One of the most striking and tragic episodes was the vile murder of Thomas Becket. This story began at the beginning of the XII century, when the king of England Henry II Plantagenet appointed his close friend, Lord Chancellor Becket, head of the Church of England. Having taken the dignity, Lord Thomas took this honorable post, but the political differences in views with the king of England and the ardent defense of the interests of the church by the lord led to the fact that on December 29, 1170, by order of Henry II, he was killed by knights on the holy altar of the cathedral.
Later, the king repented of his deed, and as a kind of atonement for his guilt, he accelerated the reckoning of the murdered saints (this event occurred three years after the death of the archbishop instead of the five years prescribed). Thomas Becket was the second of a galaxy of martyrdom archbishops who were killed while serving in Canterbury.
The healing power of Thomas Becket
For a long time, the grave of the clergyman was considered a place of healing for the sick, annually attracting hundreds who want to be cured to the cathedral. Among the visitors to Becket’s burial place were noble people who brought generous donations. The funds earned on the pilgrimage went to reconstruction. The temple, a photo of which shows that considerable funds were invested in its repair, now could independently provide for itself.
However, in 1174, he again survived the fire, as a result of which the wooden components of the building burned out. Not only the crypt was damaged, which retained its appearance during the reconstruction. The rest of the building was rebuilt under the direction of the French architect William of Sans, but in the Gothic style. Then the construction was led by an English mason William the Englishman. During this period, the remains of the murdered archbishops were transferred from the crypt to the rebuilt cathedral.
At the site of the burnt apse, a chapel of the Holy Trinity was built, where the coffin with the body of Thomas Becket was transferred. He was here until 1538, when the next king of England - Henry VIII of the Tudor dynasty - envied the incredible income of the cathedral at the expense of pilgrims, whose number after the fire did not decrease, he decided to appropriate the treasures of the temple.
To do this, the ruler of England announced the trial of the deceased more than three centuries ago, the archbishop. Naturally, the latter did not appear on him. This, along with the charge of treason, served as the basis for the conviction of Thomas Becket and the removal of treasures from his tomb in favor of the royal treasury. Few cathedrals in England can boast of such a rich and at the same time tragic history of the struggle with royal power.
Under the direction of William the Englishman, another one, also known as the “Becket Crown,” was built next to the chapel of the Holy Trinity: it contained the head crown that was at the archbishop on the day of the murder.
New renovations
Canterbury Cathedral was rebuilt in 1184, but it was not opened until 1220.
New chapels were gradually filled with tombs of archbishops and prominent figures of the Middle Ages. So, the remains of the famous commander of the Hundred Years War Eduard the Black Prince are stored here; King Henry IV of Bolingbroke.
Further reconstruction of the cathedral was carried out in 1377, when the main and transverse nave were decided to be rebuilt in the style of English Gothic. The earthquake of 1382 brought all work to naught, extending the restoration of the building by several more decades.
After numerous reconstructions, reconstructions and modifications, the cathedral acquired its modern look (in the 30s of the 19th century), when a new Gothic-style building was built to mirror the south-western tower in place of the north-west tower, which threatened to collapse.
Cathedral Life in the 20th Century
The year 1942 was another test for the cathedral, which underwent a raid of the Luftwaffe: part of the buildings suffered significantly. During the restoration of 1954, the destroyed buildings were restored, and the cathedral was redecorated. However, the magnificent architectural monument as a whole needs a deeper restoration, since erosion destroys the limestone from which it was built.
The modern cathedral and its role
Currently, the religious building serves as the regimental church of the Royal Regiment of Queen of Wales. Funds are being raised for its reconstruction, because such a powerful building requires significant financial costs for maintenance and restoration.
The great temples of the world can rightfully be proud that they include this oldest monument of architectural art, the collection of which includes more than 50 thousand brochures and books of different periods of publication, and a rich history testifies to a difficult fate.