Canterbury, Cathedral and the Canterbury Tales

June 24, 2010

The small town of Canterbury in Kent, England, are a charming town famous for its old cathedral. The city is located only 90 miles from London and formerly was one of the sites that attracted more pilgrims from Europe.

Canterbury Cathedral was rebuilt in the year 1174. In this cathedral were murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket, who was later canonized and beatified, and his remains lie there. During this time the cathedral attracted many pilgrims from all over Europe. The cathedral is famous for its stained glass windows dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Despite the numerous bombings that the city suffered during the Second World War, the cathedral suffered no serious damage, but just in case people decided to hide most of the crystals and other valuables to avoid destroys. The windows were re-installed after the war ended, and the cathedral acquired its original appearance. The windows are most impressive Great West Window, the Windows Bible and Miracles windows, each richly decorated in bright colors.

The city was a key city for Christianity during the Roman Empire. The city is considered the main religious center in the UK, and San Augustine was the first Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Church of England.

The city was visited by Gandhi, who helped rebuild the cathedral after a fire caused damage to part of the building. The Cathedral of Canterbury was also named World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988.

Other points of interest in the city are the Abbey of St. Augustine and the church of San Martín, who also were named a World Heritage Site. There are still the ruins of the ancient castle of Canterbury is now open to the public. Nearby, in the church of Santa Margarita, are statues of the characters in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

In the city there are several ruins dating from Roman times. There is still part of the ruins of an ancient Roman wall, which was rebuilt in the fourteenth century. One can visit the Queningate, a Roman gate in the ancient city walls, and part of an ancient cemetery.

The cultural scene is the famous Marlowe Theatre, named after the famous author Christopher Marlowe, who was born and raised in this city. Another important theater is the Gulbenkian Theatre. The city’s musical scene is notable for its fusion of sounds and their own style, known as the Canterbury scene.

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Posted in Destinations, Europe