Canterbury Cathedral - Mother Church of Holy Trinity

Cassell, 1979

Canterbury Cathedral has been the scene of turbulent activity since its foundation in the early years of the seventh century. The Saxon Cathedral was burnt down accidentally in 1067 and the present building became the target of bombing attacks in WW2. But it was the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket which horrified Christians and made the Cathedral a place of pilgrimage for worshippers who came to Kent from all parts of the Christian world. Of the long processions of Kings and Queens who visited it, oine, the King of France, came as a prisoner of the Black Prince, another, King Henry II, as a barefoot penitent. In the Middle Ages Becket's shrine was decked with gold and jewels given by pilgrims - and later destroyed by order of King Henry VIII. In thiss century the Precintcts were rocked by a political controversy over Dean Hewlett Johnson, the so-called `Red Dean'. The beautiful Gothic building has survived in its glory to welcome ever-increasing numbers of visitors from all over the world; but most visitors know little of the men and women who have over the centuries impressed their personalities on the building. This book makes the Cathedral come alive, and the many illustrations show grand views and tiny details that it is unlikely that the visitoor will notice for himself...