Although Canterbury Cathedral itself is a stunning architectural feat and a beautiful building, it is not simply the structure itself that has created its historical and religious fame.
Instead, both its
origin as the first English cathedral, and the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket which occurred within its walls, have given it its fame.
For centuries pilgrims have traveled to
Canterbury to offer their prayers at the shrine of Thomas Becket or to visit the spot on which Christianity was first officially introduced into
Great Britain.
These two events and the pilgrimages which followed also solicited the writing of Geoffrey Chaucer’s
The Canterbury Tales, further extending its fame within English history.
Overall, Canterbury Cathedral is one of the most important religious sites and shrines in all of the
United Kingdom.
A cathedral in Canterbury was first erected when St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury landed on the coast of Kent as a missionary sent to the Anglo Saxon people by Pope Gregory the Great. It is fabled that Gregory was struck by the beauty of Angle slave children whom he called “angels” and shortly thereafter dispatched Augustine and some monks to convert the blond haired blue eyed people to Christianity. Augustine was given a church at Canterbury, originally called St. Martin’s. This building remained the central place of worship throughout Roman occupation and has become the oldest church in England that is still in use today ("History and Heritage: Canterbury Cathedral"). It truly represents the longstanding Catholic tradition in the United Kingdom.
In the 10th century, following the Norman invasion, the Cathedral was burned to the ground by a large fire. It was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by the Saxon people and a community of Benedictine monks was planted there. The new building personified the architecture of the Anglo-Norman Romanesque period during which cathedrals or large churches were rebuilt in many places including Bath and Winchester. These redesigned cathedrals were of enormous size, twice the length of the original Saxon Cathedrals. They also aimed to give the impression of strength and solidity conveyed through massive pillars, heavily rounded arches, thick walls and spreading ceilings. The cathedrals were built in the shape of a cross, the upper portion pointing towards the east (Willson 112). It was after the cathedral had been rebuilt that the greatest defining moment of its history would occur.
In the year 1170 a huge dispute occurred between the civil and ecclesiastical courts of England. Exceptional privileges enabling clergy to effectively dodge all law brought King Henry into conflict with the Church. Attempting to establish common law the King demanded that clergy who had been found guilty in ecclesiastical courts to come to civil courts for sentencing, along with demanding that appeals made directly to Rome cease, the King came into direct conflict with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The debate became more and more bitter until Becket thought it would be best to go abroad. He spent six years on the continent, threatening to excommunicate Henry and others (Hibbert 63). Henry eventually allowed Becket to return to Canterbury but as soon as he did, fresh quarrels broke out. Reportedly, Henry,
while on a visit to his continental possessions was heard to exclaim, “What a parcel of fools and dastards have I nourished in my house that none of them will avenge me of this one upstart priest!” (Hibbert 64). Four knights, taking the King’s exclamation seriously sailed to England to murder the archbishop. King Henry’s popularity rapidly and drastically decreased after Becket was murdered in the Cathedral and he reigned only four additional years.
From this point forward the cyclical pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket began as pilgrims traveled from all over Britain to pay their respects. With Thomas Becket’s canonization in 1173, the numbers traveling to Canterbury every year only increased ("History and Heritage: Canterbury Cathedral”). Today, Canterbury continues to be the destination of many pilgrimages. Housing both the shrine to Thomas Becket and remaining the spot on which Christianity was first introduced to Great Britain, it is arguably the most important religious site in all of the United Kingdom.
Works Cited
Hibbert, Christopher. The Story of England. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2006.
"History and Heritage: Canterbury Cathedral." Canterbury Cathedral . 4 Jun 2008 .
Willson, David Harris. A History of England. 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1972.
origin as the first English cathedral, and the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket which occurred within its walls, have given it its fame. For centuries pilgrims have traveled to 
In the 10th century, following the Norman invasion, the Cathedral was burned to the ground by a large fire. It was extensively rebuilt and enlarged by the Saxon people and a community of Benedictine monks was planted there. The new building personified the architecture of the Anglo-Norman Romanesque period during which cathedrals or large churches were rebuilt in many places including 
while on a visit to his continental possessions was heard to exclaim, “What a parcel of fools and dastards have I nourished in my house that none of them will avenge me of this one upstart priest!” (Hibbert 64). Four knights, taking the King’s exclamation seriously sailed to 
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