Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site.
Contents
Description
It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The archbishop, being suitably occupied with national and international matters, delegates the most of his functions as diocesan bishop to the Bishop suffragan of Dover.
Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury.
History
Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt from 1070 to 1077.
The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the twelfth century, and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174, with significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170.
The Norman nave and transepts survived until the late fourteenth century, when they were demolished to make way for the present structures.
See also
External links
- Canterbury Cathedral @ Wikipedia
