Canterbury Cathedral

Overview

Canterbury Cathedral is the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is located in Canterbury in southeast England. Founded in 597 CE, it has been a center of Christianity in England for over fourteen centuries. Canterbury Cathedral is an active place of daily worship and pilgrimage, and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Present

Canterbury Cathedral is managed by its Dean and Chapter, the cathedral's governing body of clergy. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the senior bishop of the Church of England and the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a global family of churches. Services are held several times daily, including choral evensong sung by the cathedral choir. New archbishops are enthroned in the cathedral. The 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, was installed in March 2026, the first woman in the role. Canterbury Cathedral is an active pilgrimage destination, and pilgrims arrive on foot along historic routes to the city. Many pilgrims know these routes through the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (14th century), a collection of stories about pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury Cathedral.

Religious Significance

Canterbury Cathedral is one of the most significant sites in English Christianity. In 597 CE, Augustine, a monk sent by Pope Gregory I from Rome to bring Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, established his seat in Canterbury and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Every archbishop since stands in this succession, and the cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The cathedral is also venerated as the site of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket. Becket, then Archbishop of Canterbury, was killed inside the cathedral in 1170 by four knights after a conflict with King Henry II over the rights of the church. He was declared a saint in 1173, and his shrine drew pilgrims from across Europe, making Canterbury one of the major pilgrimage destinations of the medieval world. The shrine was destroyed in 1538 on the orders of King Henry VIII during the English Reformation, when the church in England broke from Rome and shrines and monasteries were dissolved. A single burning candle marks the shrine's former location, and many pilgrims visit the site today.

History & Structure

Canterbury Cathedral was founded in 597 CE by Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. The Anglo-Saxon cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1067 and rebuilt from 1070 under Archbishop Lanfranc. After another fire in 1174, the eastern end was rebuilt to house the shrine of Thomas Becket, and the nave was rebuilt in the late 14th century. Bell Harry, the central tower, was completed around 1498 and rises about 72 meters. From the 10th century until 1540 the cathedral was served by a Benedictine monastery, a community of monks living on the site. In 1988 Canterbury Cathedral was inscribed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church, two nearby sites connected to Augustine's mission.

Additional Resources

• Official website: Canterbury Cathedral
• UNESCO: Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church
• Book: Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel by John Guy (2012)