Canterbury Cathedral (UK): description, photo

On the southeast coast of England, in the county of Kent, the most famous and oldest Gothic structure in this region rises majestically, the heritage of the times of Christianity is the Canterbury Cathedral (officially called the Cathedral and the Metropolitan Church in Canterbury). This temple, whose photo shows strength and strength, for hundreds of years served as a center for Christians of England.

To this day, this remarkable architectural monument has preserved its color and functions as the residence of the head of the Anglican Church and the Anglican community - the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Story starts

Canterbury Cathedral is proud of its long history, which dates back to the time when the foot of the Romans did not set foot on the British Isles . In that distant era there was a temple of pagans. Already after the island was visited by the Romans, the place of sacrifice turned into a pagan sanctuary (it happened about the 5th century).

Pope Gregory I wished to extend Christianity here: in this connection, the former abbot of 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 result of the missionary's journey in 597 was the Canterbury Cathedral, founded on his order in honor of the heavenly patron of Jesus Christ. In addition, outside the walls of the city was built a monastery of St. Peter and Paul, later renamed in honor of Augustine. Here bishops of the city were buried.

The First Destructions

The cathedral in question (in England it is also called the Canterbury Cathedral) has been rebuilt more than once. So, after some reconstructions, outwardly it became similar to St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. In the 10th century a Benedictine monastery appeared near the religious building.

The beginning of the XI century left a sad trace in the history of the cathedral - it was subjected to significant destruction by the Vikings, it was not possible to restore it. Suddenly attacked the Danes captured, and later killed Archbishop Alfagej, who became the first of the Canterbury archbishops martyrs.

The final point in the history of the existence of the center of Christianity of that period in the British Isles was a fire that occurred after half a century.

New breath of the cathedral

And 3 years after the disaster, in 1070, the construction of a new church on the site of the burnt down religious building began. Supervised the construction of the first Norman archbishop Lanfranc, who held this post for 7 years.

The Canterbury Cathedral, whose photo shows how much the new building looked like the monastery of St. Stephen in France, where he had previously been a rector, received a new life. Even a stone for construction brought from the homeland of the archbishop. 1077 was marked by the consecration of the newly erected Christian center and was open for visits.

The first blood for the sake of religion

The Canterbury Cathedral has experienced many events in its time. One of the most vivid and tragic episodes was the vile murder of Thomas Becket. This story began in the early XII century, when the King of England Henry II Plantagenet appointed his close friend, Lord Chancellor Becket, head of the Anglican Church. After taking the dignity, Lord Thomas took this honorable post, but political divergences in views with the King of England and the fierce advocacy of the Lord's interests led to the fact that on December 29, 1170, on the orders of Henry II, he was killed by knights on the holy altar of the cathedral.

Later, the king repented of what he had done, and as an original redemption of his guilt, he accelerated the enrollment of the sainted saints (this event occurred three years after the death of the archbishop instead of the appointed five years). Thomas Becket became the second of a galaxy of archbishop martyrs who were killed during the service of the church in Canterbury.

The healing power of Thomas Becket

For a long time, the grave of a clergyman was considered a healing place for the sick, attracting hundreds of people who wished to be cured every year. Among the visitors to the burial place of Becket were noble people, who brought generous donations. The money earned on pilgrimage went to reconstruction. The temple, a photo of which shows that considerable money was invested in its repair, could now provide for itself.

However, in 1174 he again experienced a fire, as a result of which the wooden components of the building burnt out. Not affected only by the crypt, which retained its appearance during the reconstruction. The rest of the building was built under the guidance of the French architect William of Sans, but already in the Gothic style. Then the construction was supervised by an English bricklayer William the Englishman. During this period, the remains of the dead archbishops were transferred from the crypt to the rebuilt cathedral.

On the site of the burned apse, the chapel of the Holy Trinity was built, where the coffin with the body of Thomas Becket was transferred. Here he was until 1538, when the next king of England - Henry VIII of the Tudor dynasty - envying the incredible income of the cathedral at the expense of pilgrims, whose number after the fire did not diminish, decided to appropriate the treasures of the temple.

To this end, the ruler of England announced the trial of the deceased more than three centuries ago, the archbishop. Naturally, the latter did not show up for him. This, along with the accusation of treason, was the basis for the recognition of Thomas Becket guilty and the seizure of treasures from his tomb in favor of the royal treasury. Few cathedrals of England can boast of such a rich and at the same time tragic history of the struggle against royal power.

Under the leadership of William the Englishman, another one was built near the chapel of the Holy Trinity, also known as the "Crown of Becket": it contained the head crown that was on the archbishop on the day of the murder.

New Reconstructions

Canterbury Cathedral was rebuilt in 1184, but its opening occurred only in 1220.

The new chapels were gradually filled with the tombs of archbishops and prominent figures of the Middle Ages. So, here are the remains of the famous commander of the Hundred Years War, Edward Black Prince; King Henry IV of Bolingbroke.

Further reconstruction of the cathedral was also carried out in 1377, when the main and transverse nave were decided to rebuild in the style of English Gothic. The earthquake of 1382 brought all the work to naught, prolonging the restoration of the building for several tens of years.

After numerous reconstructions, reconstructions and modifications, the cathedral acquired its modern appearance (in the 30s of the XIX century), when a new building in the Gothic style mirrored the south-western tower was erected on the site of the north-western tower, which threatened to collapse.

The life of the cathedral in the XX century

1942 was another test for the cathedral, which was raided by the Luftwaffe: some of the structures were largely damaged. During the restoration of 1954, the destroyed buildings were restored, and the cathedral was repaired. However, the majestic architectural monument in general needs a deeper restoration, as erosion destroys the limestone from which it was built.

The modern cathedral and its role

At present, the religious building serves as the regimental church of the Royal Regiment of the Queen of Wales. For its reconstruction, funds are collected, because such a powerful building requires significant financial costs for maintenance and rehabilitation.

Great temples of the world can be proud of the fact that this number includes this oldest monument of architectural art, the collection of which includes more than 50 thousand brochures and books of different periods of the publication, and a rich history testifies to a difficult fate.