Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It is the Cathedral of the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, the primate of all England and the religious leader of the Church of England. This mother church of the Diocese of Canterbury (in eastern Kent) is the focus of the Anglican Religion. Its formal title in English is Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury.
It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988, along with St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martin's Church.
The construction of the complex took place over the ruins of a building constructed by St. Augustine in the 6th century. The current building is the result of two phases of construction, the first from 1070 to 1184 and the second from 1378 to 1505. The initiator of the works was Archbishop Lanfranc, appointed by Duke William in 1070.
A dark chapter in the history of the cathedral was the decapitation of Thomas Becket in the northeast corner of the interior of the complex on Sunday, December 29, 1170, by some guards who happened to overhear King Henry II of England saying, "Who will free me from this meddlesome priest?" after having had a confrontation with Becket. The guards took the king's words literally and murdered Becket in his own Cathedral. Becket would be the second of four Archbishops of Canterbury to be assassinated.
After the disastrous fire of 1174, which destroyed the eastern end of the cathedral, William of Sens rebuilt the place with a much more modern Gothic design, including tall pointed arches, flying buttresses, accentuating the vertical lines of the tall pillars and spires on the exterior to create greater heights inside. Later, William the English added the Trinity Chapel as a holy place for the relics of St. Thomas the Martyr. Over time, other significant burials took place in this location, such as that of Edward Plantagenet (the Black Prince) and King Henry IV of England. The Bell Harry Tower (its original name) was built at the eastern end to house the relic of the head of St. Thomas, which was severed during his murder.
The revenue generated from pilgrims (who included figures like Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales) who visited Becket's shrine, considered a place of healing, largely funded all subsequent reconstructions of the Cathedral and its surrounding buildings.
The facade is open with a traceried window and flanked by two towers with buttresses. It features a highly decorated porch built between 1425 and 1427. Access is via the south door; the nave is open with very tall and narrow pointed arches between clustered pillars that fan out to reach the vault. From the transept, whose vault consists of fan-shaped marble branches, one descends into the crypt with a plan of five naves. It is the largest and most elaborate in all of England. It occupies the space of the choir and the Trinity Chapel and the annexed apsidal areas. It belongs to the first Norman period and retains the figurative capitals and carved ribs of the composite pillars. In the right nave, two chapels open: the Temple Chapel and St. Gabriel’s Chapel, from the Norman era, with a two-nave plan decorated with 12th-century frescoes. In the left nave, two other chapels open: St. Nicholas Chapel and Holy Innocents Chapel, with two naves separated by solomonic pillars and decorated capitals.
The choir is from the 12th century and was crafted by Guillaume de Sens. Ascending the lateral steps of the high altar, one enters the Trinity Chapel, built in honor of Becket. It is an elliptical construction supported by paired columns of various marbles. It is illuminated by stained glass windows that illustrate the miracles of the saint. Becket's tomb is found at the point marked by the Swords Point altar before it was destroyed in 1538 by order of Henry VIII. Behind the altar stands the Chair of Saint Augustine, from the 12th century, a marble throne from Purbeck used in the coronation of archbishops.
The old central Norman tower was demolished in 1430. The reconstruction of the tower (Bell Harry) occurred approximately 50 years later, beginning in 1490 and finishing in 1505, with a final height of 91 meters and in perpendicular Gothic style.

HIGHLIGHTED DETAILS OF THE CATHEDRAL

The Rose of the Winds

The bronze rose of the winds is the symbol of the worldwide Anglican communion, of which Canterbury Cathedral is the Mother Church. The inscription in Greek means "The truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

The Martyrdom

It is the precious place where Thomas Becket was murdered, making it the historical heart of the Cathedral. Thus, on the night of December 29, 1170, the knights of King Henry II burst into the Cathedral through the cloister door that was behind them. While Becket was preparing for the evening service, he was violently attacked with swords, causing his death on these stones. Since then, this has been a sacred place of pilgrimage.

The modern version of the Altar of the Point of the Sword (named as such because the tip of one of the Knights’ swords broke, from the force of the blows, when it struck the stone floor) is located where a medieval altar once existed. For centuries this has been one of the pilgrimage points of the Cathedral. It is significant that Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Robert Runcie prayed here on May 29, 1982, during the first visit the Pope made to England. On the feast day of Saint Thomas Becket (December 29), during a procession by candlelight after the evening service, the Archbishop prays here a prayer.

The Eastern Crypt

Initially, from 1170 to 1220, Becket's tomb was located in it. It is believed that many miraculous healings have taken place here. The two trellis windows in the center at the top allowed the monks to watch over the tomb from the watch chamber above.

The Crown Chapel

This chapel was added to house the crown of St. Thomas, which fell from him while he was being martyred. In 1978, the chapel was dedicated to the Saints and Martyrs of our time.

Next to it is the tomb of Archbishop Hubert Walter, the oldest tomb in the Cathedral. It dates from 1205 and has Romanesque carved heads.

The Tomb of the Black Prince

Beyond, to his right, lies one of the most beautiful medieval tombs in the Cathedral, that of Edward, Prince of Wales, known as the Black Prince (d. 1376). The gilded effigy shows him in full armor, including gauntlets and helmet, with the spurs he won at the Battle of Crécy, and next to his dog. At the top hang copies of his "funeral regalia." The shields on the tomb include, for the first time, the three ostrich feathers, a symbol of peace, which are still known as "the feathers of the Prince of Wales." The detailed funeral instructions that the prince left were faithfully followed, except for burying him in the Crypt— it was deemed more appropriate to place the tomb here, near Saint Thomas Becket.

After the departure of the Romans in the 6th century, the county of Kent fell into the hands of the Saxons, and Christianity almost disappeared completely. In 597 AD, Pope Gregory sent Augustine and 40 other monks to re-establish Christianity. Augustine successfully converted the King of Kent, Ethelbert, and established the foundation for the spread of Christianity throughout Britain. Augustine built a church and monastery and became its first archbishop. Unfortunately, nothing remains of this first Cathedral, but since then Canterbury has been the seat of the archbishop. To this day, the Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Anglican community worldwide.
The Cathedral has a rich variety of architectural styles. In 1067, the first Cathedral was destroyed by fire. William the Conqueror
built a new cathedral in a much grander style (1070-1077).
Afterward, the Choir was built over the Crypt (1098-1130). This new Choir
was also destroyed by fire in 1174 and had to be replaced: the
innovative French architect William of Sens reconstructed a magnificent
new Choir in Gothic style, followed by the chapels of the Crown and
the Trinity. The reconstruction of the Nave in perpendicular style by
the master mason Yeveley, as well as the addition of new towers and
transepts in the following 100 years, turned the Cathedral into one of the
most beautiful and interesting churches in the Christian world.

The murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket made the Cathedral one of
the most important pilgrimage centers in Europe. Thomas Becket,
the first Chancellor and close friend of King Henry II before becoming
archbishop, was exiled to France for 6 years after a conflict with
the King. The disagreements began soon after he returned in 1170, and it is said that the King exclaimed, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Four knights took the King’s words literally and headed to Canterbury. On the night of December 29, they followed Becket to the Cathedral and murdered him in the place that is now called 'The Martyrdom.'
Until 1220, Becket's body and his tomb were in the eastern part
of the Crypt; two days after his assassination, pilgrims began to
arrive in great numbers, and many miracles are said to have occurred.

Thomas was canonized in 1173, which made Canterbury even more
significant as a pilgrimage center. In 1220, the tomb of the Saint
was moved to the new Trinity Chapel, built specifically to house the tomb. And it remained there until 1538, when it was destroyed by order of King Henry VIII. Two years later, the monastery was dissolved: the King deposed the prior and the monks and replaced them with a Dean and a Chapter
as part of his conflict with the Pope. The King wanted to divorce his
wife Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn, and the Pope obviously opposed.
The break with Rome occurred because of this dispute, but also because of the evangelical reform in Europe.

The West Crypt is the oldest part of the Cathedral and is all that remains
of the parts of the Cathedral that St. Anselm commissioned to be built
during the Norman period. The walls and ceilings would have originally
been decorated as can still be seen in St. Gabriel’s Chapel. When
the Choir was burned in 1174, the East Crypt was extended to form the
foundation of the new Trinity Chapel, which would house the new tomb
and offer more space for pilgrims.

The reconstruction of the Choir and Trinity Chapel began from the
West side. It became a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, featuring
a beautiful vault, keystones in the ceiling, and Purbeck columns. Its architect, William of Sens, fell from the scaffolding during construction, and his work was completed by his assistant, William the English.

In 1498, the Cathedral was completed with a new tower, the Bell Harry Tower,
named after Prior Henry of Eastry. The tower is decorated with
shields of people who contributed to its construction.

Before the Reformation, nearly all windows would have had stained-glass.
Many were destroyed by the Puritans, but Canterbury still has the most important collection of medieval stained glass in the country. The largest window to the West contains some of the oldest stained glass in the world. The figures show the genealogy of Christ; two early Gothic windows in the North nave of the Choir depict scenes from the Old
and New Testament; they are called “The Bible windows” or “The Bible of
the poor.” The windows around the Trinity Chapel recount stories of miracles with precious colored stained glass from the 13th century. Many show the ancient tomb in the Crypt; others the new tomb, which was later destroyed. The windows in the Southeast transept were destroyed in
World War II and replaced in 1950 by a Hungarian refugee, Evin Bossanyi. These represent Peace and Salvation.

The most famous tomb in the Cathedral is that of Edward, the Black Prince, the firstborn son of King Edward III; he could have been King had he not died before his father. He was a kind and brave leader in the wars against France, and it is said the French called him the Black Prince because they feared his valor. He requested to be buried in the Crypt, but it was decided he was too important and his tomb was placed near the “altar” of Thomas.

Next to the Black Prince rests the only English monarch who has been
buried in Canterbury: King Henry IV and his Queen Joanna of Navarre.
In the vaulted ceilings of the Great Cloister, one can see about 800
shields of contributors to the reconstruction of the Cathedral and its cloisters.
The precious Chapter House has the seat of the Prior and was the daily meeting place for the monks. The two large windows show figures who have been important to the history of the Cathedral. A door in the cloister leads to the Archbishop's Palace. This is relatively a modern building; the old one was destroyed by the Puritans. The monastery has a sophisticated water supply, and its “Water Tower,” which remains intact, is a Romanesque masterpiece. “King’s School,” the school located at the back of the Cathedral, was founded by Henry VIII and is the oldest private school in England. Among its most famous alumni are Christopher Marlowe, Somerset Maugham, and Hugh Walpole.

A cathedral is the seat of a bishop, but Canterbury Cathedral is more than that; its bishop is the archbishop, Primate of all England. It is not only the mother Church of England but also of 80 million Anglicans worldwide.

coro Zambrano