Canterbury, England, United Kingdom
Canterbury Cathedral
The mother church of the Anglican Communion, built on the site where Augustine of Canterbury planted Christianity in England.
The cathedral sits inside the old city walls, and you come to it through a stone gateway that frames the towers perfectly. This is where Augustine arrived in 597, sent by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the English, and the ground has held a church ever since. The nave is long and pale, Perpendicular Gothic with fan vaulting that spreads like frost across the ceiling. But the place most pilgrims seek is the spot in the northwest transept where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170 — four knights, a December evening, a cathedral floor. A single candle often burns there now. The medieval shrine behind the high altar, destroyed during the Reformation, is marked by a simple slab. The crypt below is the oldest part, thick Norman columns with carved capitals still standing from the eleventh century. The stained glass in the Trinity Chapel tells Becket's miracles in jewel-toned panels. Chaucer's pilgrims came here. You can still feel why.
Style: English Gothic (Perpendicular and Early English)
What to See
Start in the northwest transept at the Martyrdom — the spot where Becket fell. A modern altar and sculpture mark the place. Move east through the choir to the Trinity Chapel, where the shrine stood before Henry VIII had it dismantled; the worn stone floor shows where centuries of pilgrims knelt. The miracle windows flanking this chapel are among the finest medieval glass in England. The crypt is vast and atmospheric, with the Chapel of Our Lady Undercroft still used for worship. The cloisters and chapter house are quiet and worth a slow walk.
Pilgrim Notes
Canterbury is about an hour by high-speed train from London St Pancras. The cathedral charges an admission fee for tourists, though those coming to pray or attend services enter free. Evensong is sung most days and is open to all — it's one of the most beautiful ways to experience the space. Catholic pilgrims should note that while this is now an Anglican cathedral, the Catholic history runs deep, and the site remains significant for understanding English Catholicism before and after the Reformation.