Understanding the world of cathedrals: the Cathedral of Canterbury in Kent (England)

Famous Canterbury archbishops:

• Lanfranc (1070 to 1089): first Norman archbishop
• Anselm (1093 to 1109): rebuilt the east end
• Thomas Becket (1162 to 1170): murdered in Canterbury
• Thomas Cranmer (1533-56): was responsible for closing the monastery

 

Other famous English Cathedrals and their styles:

• Durham: Norman Gothic called Romanesque in France
• Exeter: Decorated Gothic or Classic Gothic

• Salisbury: Early English, Lancet style due to the pointed windows
• Wells: Norman Gothic

Canterbury today:

It is the Reverend Dr. Rowan Williams who sits in Canterbury. He is the 104th archbishop since the beginning, serving since 2003.

It is the main church for the 4 Million Anglican community in the world. A dean and its chapter take care of Canterbury since 1540, when the king put a term to the monastery and priory was dissolved. Today’s dean is the Reverend Dr. Robert Willis.

250 people work at the cathedral.

Canterbury renovations:

Over the years much renovation has been needed. In 1660 under the Stuarts, King Charles II did some renovations.

Not much money and time were spent to repair anything during the 18th and 19th centuries.

10,000 British Pounds were given for repairs after the Restoration period.

In the 19th century, in 1848, a stain glass window restoration studio in Canterbury was created by George Austin Sr. He began a restoration campaign lasting more than 130 years. The last artist to work in the studio to repair windows was George Easton, the assistant of Samuel Caldwell.

In 1947 the American Thomas William Lamont from New York gave 500,000 dollars for renovations caused by WWII.

Conservation of the Canterbury Cathedral:

Doing everything to conserve the cathedral is important to Canterbury. So the cathedral created a Workshop Fellowship where people are trained as stone masons. The degree lasts 4 years and is academic and practical.

 

There are 17 stone masons at Canterbury. They work in a workshop on French stones which are shipped from Lepine and Caen.

In 1973 when the restoration studio for stain glass windows closed, a conservation studio was created. It was important to preserve instead of having to always restore. Among other things the workers do consolidation work, clean the glass and protect it with glazing.

Canterbury Library and the Hooley-Harrison Collection:

The entire library has more than 50,000 books. Most of them are before 1900. It is not only about theology but also about science, slavery and travel. Rare books can be consulted in the archive by appointment.

The Cathedral library suffered much damage during WWII.

In 1878 a survey about the Canterbury library shows that it was one of the most heavily used libraries in the English and Welsh cathedrals.

It was opened twice a week and had about 8,000 books in the Hooley- Harrison collection. Ten years later the number of books had more than doubled.

 

Today this collection holds more than 16,000 books. They have

old books, pamphlets, bibles, prayer books and also a picture of queen Edgiva.

In his research about the library’s books, Michel Ramsay discovered that not many new books were added to the library from 1340 to 1540.

Lots of books came from the archbishop Henry Chilenden.

Visit the cathedral:

Cost: 8 GPB
Where: the Cathedral is only a short distance from the train station on Cathedral House 11 – the Precincts.

Opening time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Crypt closes 30 minutes earlier.

On the weekend it is only opened from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Guided tours, school tours, conferences and special services for pilgrims are available.

How to get there: from London by car on the M2 or M20, with the National Express coach or via train.

Meeting of archbishop of Canterbury with Pope Benedict XVI:

special meeting during the visit of the Pope to England on Friday Sept. 17th at 4:00 p.m. is planned. They will meet in Lambeth Palace (in the suburb of Lambeth).

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• Thomas Becket