Lazing Religiously in Canterbury

Canterbury, Kent, England "There is no lovelier place in the world than Canterbury..."Virginia Woolf [1904] CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL It may be best to start with a little historical background about Canterbury to set the scene. ·Artefacts date the earliest settlement on the River Stour to 300 B.C. ·Julius Caesar arrived on his 2nd Expedition in 54 B.C. with the Roman VIIth Legion to storm a Celtic fort at Bigbury: Romans – 1, Celtics – 0. Home Defence in Rome stopped play and the Romans returned to Rome. ·Canterbury becomes a permanent settlement and has the Celtic name Durwhern. ·The Romans returned in 43 B.C. on behalf of Emperor Claudius and renamed the town as Durovernum Cantiacorum [Durovernum after the Celtic name of Durwhern and Cantiacorum meaning of the Cantiaci or Kentish people]. ·After the fall of the Roman Empire in 5th century A.D., Saxons dominated the kingdom of Kent and the capital was located on the same site as [surprise surprise] Durovernum Cantiacorum. ·The Saxon name was Cantwaraburh, meaning Kentish Peoples’ Stronghold. Canterbury lost its Roman glory, and many streets and Roman roads fell into disuse. It was the seat of King Ethelbert of Kent who married the Christian Frankish Princess Bertha. The main church in Saxon Canterbury was St Martin's Church, a church founded in Roman times, which had served as a chapel for Queen Bertha. “OK, youse guys!” the church still stands and is in use today. How’s that for continuity of faith? ·Ethelbert invited monk missionaries from Rome and after his conversion, created the 1st Archbishop, Augustine, and allowed the establishment of the ‘Cathedra’ or official seat. Christ Church Gate This is the usual entry for visitors from Mercery Lane. The structure is early Tudor, believed to have been built as a memorial to Henry VII’s eldest son Arthur, Prince of Wales, who died aged 16 years in 1502. The modern figure of welcoming Christ replaced the original, which was torn down by Puritans in 1642. Canterbury Cathedral The great church, 514 feet long, of East-West orientation, comes into view and we are confronted with a variety of architectural styles from late Middle Ages, early Gothic, Romanesque and mid-Victorian. The western towers and nave (long middle bit) are late Middle Ages [late 14th and early 15th century]. The quire (to the right of long middle bit) beyond the western transept (the cross structure across middle of building) is early Gothic [late 12th century] built upon a Romanesque crypt 70 years older. The individual parts of the building is linked into one by the massive bulk of the central (Bell Harry) tower rising to 235 feet, which was completed in 1498. The present Bell Harry was cast in 1635. Its name derives from the original bell hung in the central tower by Prior Henry (Harry) Eastry, who was Prior of the Benedictine community from 1285 to 1331. This bell is a "calling bell" to services, as was the purpose of the first Bell Harry. As well as this, it serves as the Sanctus and Curfew bell. As a "passing bell" its use is restricted to being tolled only on the death of a Sovereign or an Archbishop. Western Towers (Oxford & Arundel Towers) Canterbury Cathedral has twenty-one bells altogether. Fourteen of these hang in the Oxford (South West) Tower as the Ringing Bells, six (including Great Dunstan) hang in the Arundel (North West) Tower as the Clock Chime Bells, and, alone in the Bell Harry (Central) Tower, is Bell Harry. Great Dunstan was cast in 1762 in the Cathedral Precincts and weighs 62 cwt, 2 qtrs, and 9 lbs; that’s 3185 kg for the metric folk. South-west Porch The visitor usually enters the Nave through the southwest porch built in the reign of Henry V. The statues are mid-Victorian representing characters in the history of the Cathedral. The Nave ceiling West Window At the western end of the Nave are 13 stained glass figures from the genealogy of Christ dating from late 12th century and brought here from the older quire in 1797. In the centre of the bottom row is one of the oldest pieces of glass in England, that of the figure of Adam delving after expulsion from Eden. Above are representations of kings, apostle and saints. Adam delving. Royal Window of Martyrdom (North) New stained glass windows Pulpit The pulpit (1898) is carved, painted wood in memorial to a Victorian Dean. Pulpitum Screen At the Eastern end of the Nave, a flight of stairs rises to the older Quire, which is screened by the Pulpitum Screen known as the Screen of the Six Kings. On top of the screen is the console of the Cathedral Organ built in 1886. Under Bell Harry Tower Standing in front of the Pulpitum Screen, the visitor is unknowingly under the lantern of Bell Harry Tower. Looking up, we can barely see the vaulting of the tower. The Martyrdom Transept Here is the ‘point’ of the pilgrimage to Canterbury, where Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop and Martyr was killed in 1170. A modern version of the ‘Altar of Sword’s Point” has been placed here. Warriors’ Chapel of St Michael The old colours of the Buffs (Royal East Kent) Regiment are laid up in this chapel. Under the window, lies one of the greatest of Archbishops, Cardinal Stephen Langton. He was buried in 1228 in a simple stone coffin, the end of which protrudes oddly into the churchyard outside. Ship’s bell of HMS Canterbury The bell is struck daily at 11 am as tribute to the fallen of the World Wars. Tomb of Henry IV and Joan of Navarre Tomb of Black Prince At the effigy’s feet is the faithful dog in brass. The way to Chapter House and Cloister CANTERBURY OLD TOWN Sun Hotel (1503) Charles Dickens once stayed here during a tour of Kent. Olde Weavers House (1500) Remains of St Georges Church, Canterbury, England At the top of Canterbury High Street, this has been known as ‘The Clock Tower’ for many a year. It was part of the Church of St George the Martyr, where Christopher Marlowe was baptised. The church was destroyed in bombing raids of 1942. Thank you, dear Reader, for joining me on a short tour of Canterbury. In these scurrying times, we do not pause to reflect on the lives and achievements of those before us. As with the rebuilding of cities, upon towns, upon villages on the same site in Canterbury, we walk in the footsteps of our forefathers. [For the rest of the Marlowe Story, please see Belles Lettres and Beaux Arts Forum] [For food in Canterbury, please see Wine, Food Epicures Forum] Pictures and text copyright Melvyn Teillol-Foo 2003. MTF ThePuristS.com Travel Discussion Forum  |  ThePuristS.com Home Page We welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections. Copyright 2002-2003 - MTF and ThePuristS.com - all rights reserved