Today started with a little rain as I climbed out of bed to
get some coffee. Last night was a little rough, since the apartment doesn’t
have air conditioning, so I bought a couple of fans to keep with me on this trip
to keep me cool on warm nights. Funny how you take A/C for granted in the
States. In Europe, if you visit at the wrong time of the year, it can get hot,
especially if you can’t retreat back to a nice air-conditioned house.
Alex and I made it to Canterbury Cathedral just as they
opened at 1130. We had an hour to explore the grounds surrounding the cathedral
until church let out, and they opened the inside at 1230. It is particularly
impressive to view this magnificent cathedral. The stone carvings, frescoes,
and history are awe inspiring. There were plenty of memorials outside of the
cathedral, and lots of trees, bushes, and flowers. The cathedral is undergoing
renovations, so there was some scaffolding up, but it didn’t seem to belittle
it any.
Check out these two. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were placed on the Cathedral in 2015.
We were first in line when they opened the cathedral up to visitors.
I didn’t realize all of the chapels within the cathedral. Many were just
offshoots from the main cathedral, but they were all over the place. My
research reveals that there were 24 chapels including the crypt underneath the
cathedral. That doesn’t include what other chapels may have existed in the
outlying buildings that represent the grounds of the cathedral. The cathedral
was consecrated in 1070 after William the Conqueror became King of England, and
it is hard to imagine the history that this place holds. Very impressive.
I've never seen a lecturn shaped like a duck, but I saw one today.
This picture is of Edward of Woodstock's Effigy, and was taken from the internet. The one I took came out very blurred, almost as though he didn't want his picture taken. The crypts below the cathedral contained some of his personal effects, but this one is actually in the main cathedral close to the remains of Saint Thomas Becket.
This is also the final resting place of King Henry IV and Queen Joan of Navarre, pictured above.
This tapestry was placed on the wall next to where Saint Thomas was assassinated (and martyred). Two of my ancestors share the last name as 2 of the 4 Knights who murdered Saint Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury. I hope to find out if my ancestors were related to the perpetrators.
We were allowed to take pictures inside the cathedral, but
photography was not allowed in the crypts. Many of the people buried here were
placed to rest under the flagstones that line the floor, however, after years
of foot traffic, many could not be read. One tomb that is placed near the alter
is that of Edward of Woodstock, also known as the Black Prince (due to his
black plate mail armor). Though not directly related to Edward the Black Prince,
I am a direct descendant of his younger brother John of Gaunt 22 generations
removed, and I am a direct descendant of his father was King Edward III.
After visiting the cathedral, Alex and I came back to our
apartment for lunch, then headed over to another English Heritage Trust
location not far from Canterbury Cathedral. St. Augustine’s Abbey was founded
by the Anglo-Saxons in 597 AD. It is recognized as the beginning of
Christianity in the country of England, as this was where St. Augustine converted
the Anglo Saxon King Aethelbert. Canterbury Cathedral had not even been thought
of yet when this Abbey was built. There are many English Anglo-Saxon Kings
buried here, although the Abbey is now nothing but ruins.
For those of you who don’t know much about English History,
there were two significant events that occurred resulting in the wanton
destruction of many castles and Cathedrals/Abbeys. The first event took place between
1536 and 1541 when King Henry VIII, through a series of laws and actions,
brought about the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Many people believe this was
done so that Henry could name himself the head of the Church of England, and
make divorcing his many wives easier, but it was much more about money than it
was about getting a new wife. 16th Century Europe went through several
reformations of the Catholic Church, and this was just one of those. The end
result was that Henry destroyed more than 800 Abbeys, Monasteries, Friaries,
and Nunneries. The Church had accumulated a lot of wealth, and now it belonged
to Henry. Furthermore, Henry didn’t have to answer to the Pope, or any other
order of the catholic church. He was now in charge of both the country it’s religious
organization. Truly, it was much more complicated than that, and if you want to
know more, I encourage you to do your own research, there is a lot of
literature that goes into great detail about this time frame, but for someone
like me who loves history, it was a real shame to lose so many beautiful
buildings and places of worship. St. Augustine’s Abbey was a casualty of this.
The second event occurred during the First English Civil
War, when Oliver Cromwell, in charge of the Parliamentarian Forces, destroyed
many castles to prevent Royalists from using them as a base of operations
against the parliamentarian forces. This is a story for another time, but the
result was that many of the castles that I plan on visiting this Summer are now
only ruins, thanks to Oliver Cromwell.
In this picture, you can barely see the spire of Canterbury Cathedral over the tree at the end of St. Augstine's Abbey ruins.
Back to St. Augustine’s Abbey. It is hard to imagine both
the Abbey and the Cathedral standing so close to each other back in the day.
They are only ½ of a mile apart, but nowadays, the cathedral is all that is
intact. It is the combination of these two historical places that helps make Canterbury
the religious capital of England. Canterbury has been a fun place to visit, and
I’d love to come back and see it again, but there are too many other places in
the World calling my name, and too many long-lost ancestors that I yearn to
learn their stories.
