Canterbury Cathedral
17 Pics. Canterbury Cathedral ⇒ was founded in 597 by Augustine and enlarged during the 11th and 12th centuries. The cathedral became notable when archbishop Thomas Becket ⇒ was murdered there by followers of Henry II. Becket was later cannonised as a martyr and Canterbury became a place of pilgrimage.
Canterbury became yet more famous when Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales ⇒ in 1386.
The cathedral is not so greatly ornate as St Paul’s Cathedral ⇐ but it is an extraordinary sight. There is a charge for entry so please see the website ⇒.
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The gate to the cathedral precincts.
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Cathedral Entrance
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The entrance leads into the Nave and one is struck by the huge size and antiquity of the cathedral. The ability to construct on this scale without the assistance of modern technology is awe inspiring.
Looking back from the far end of the Nave.
Continuing further there is the entrance to the Quire and Trinity Chapel.
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Some of the stained glass along the way.
The Quire and Trinity Chapel.
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The tomb of Archbishop Chichelle. There are many tombs in the cathedral including Henry IV and Edward the Black Prince. Archbishop Chicelle is the most ornate. Thomas Becket was buried beneath Trinity Chapel but his bones were destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII .
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It seems that graffiti is nothing new, although it is always worth taking a close look in old churches and buildings for Witch Marks ⇒, which are not quite as they sound.
AND don’t miss out on the Cloisters with their extraordinary ceilings (I did). They are at the back of the cathedral. Here are some Google pictures ⇒ .
Thanks for visiting Freed From Time and there are a lot venues at About Canterbury ⇐.
Freed From Time 
Breathtaking beuty both in looks and the effort that went into making and building of these testaments to history
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October 30, 2016 at 09:23
Just so. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Canterbury has a long history and there will be more later. Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
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October 30, 2016 at 12:05
Very impressive photography of an equally impressive architectural wonder. Thank you also for the informative historical snippets. I was surprised to read the link you quoted re Witch Marks: “Etched in the ancient walls and pews of Medieval churches are spells, talismans, and curses. They were created by both the parishioners and, more surprisingly, their church.” A fascinating article.
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October 30, 2016 at 11:07
I am glad you enjoyed. I agree about the Witch Marks. We tend tho think of the religious past as very strict and proper. Seems there were scallywags even then. 🙂
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October 30, 2016 at 12:06
Indeed it is remarkable to have built the cathedral in those times! The masonry is marvellous notwithstanding the “witch marks” that scrawl the base of the colonnades.
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October 30, 2016 at 11:52
I suppose such things began with Stonehenge. Just goes to show what we can do when well motivated and how irreverent at times. 🙂
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October 30, 2016 at 12:08
That’s right! When we were on Santorini, we saw the ancient village of Akrotiri which had advanced plumbing! That’s like more than 2500 years ago!
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October 30, 2016 at 12:11
Amazing how much was done so long ago and (sorry couldn’t help it) I’m sure that they were flushed with success. 😀 :-D.
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October 30, 2016 at 12:19
LOL! Royally!
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October 30, 2016 at 13:15
Reblogged this on notewords and commented:
A beautiful building
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October 31, 2016 at 00:46
ci si sente piccoli piccoli difronte a tanta grandiosità e splendore!
🙂
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November 1, 2016 at 08:41
Esattamente così. Vivi a lungo ed in prosperità. 🙂
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November 1, 2016 at 17:14
It’s such a beautiful cathedral! Lovely shots.
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November 1, 2016 at 15:20
I’m glad you think so. I hadn’t been to Canterbury for years and spent a whole day there so there will be more posts. 🙂
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November 1, 2016 at 17:15
The detail is impressive on this cathedral. It looks massive – must seem even more so in person!
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July 25, 2017 at 20:25
Very much so. If you look at the base of the 8th picture, you can see a few tiny people.
It made me wonder who dusts the ceiling. 🙂
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July 26, 2017 at 08:18
P.S. I thought you might like this one which has lots of stained glass:-
https://picturethisuk.org/2016/04/08/southwark-cathedral-interiors-stained-glass-and-legend/
🙂
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July 26, 2017 at 08:23