Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church

• Official name: Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Matin’s Church
• Location: Kent, England;
• Type: Cultural
• Year of inscription: 1988

Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church are three historic religious structures in England. The three buildings combined represent a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site because of their historic significance in Christianity. The structures are located in Canterbury, England, which is considered the spiritual capital of the Church of England. The three structures were included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of their artistic design and deep connection to significant religious beliefs.

The sites represent the introduction of Christianity to the isle of Great Britain. In addition to the religious history of the sites, Canterbury Cathedral, St. Augustine’s Abbey, and St. Martin’s Church are also famous for their architecture, which represents Canterbury’s position as the focus of the Church of England. For example, Canterbury Cathedral’s Bell Harry Tower is the tallest structure in the city and stands as a visual reminder of the strength of the church. The inside of the cathedral boasts outstanding examples of medieval architecture and intricate stained glass.

Although the three sites are distinct entities, they are linked together to create the World Heritage Site. A major fundraising campaign was begun in 2006 to help with the upkeep of the structures. Inspections of the properties are conducted regularly. All three structures are popular tourist destinations.

History

Canterbury Cathedral which is also known as Christ Church Cathedral, has a past deeply rooted in history. According to the cathedral’s website, the building’s history dates back to 597. The cathedral has been referred by some as representing “England in stone.” St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, was said to have arrived in Britain from Rome in the late sixth century. He was sent there at the request of Pope Gregory the Great to convert the population to Christianity. Augustine was eventually named a bishop and ultimately, an archbishop. He was said to have built the first cathedral at Canterbury in 597. Between 1070 and 1077, the cathedral was largely rebuilt after a devastating fire. The east end was enlarged and would become a noted architectural wonder. About a century later, Archbishop Thomas Becket was famously murdered in the cathedral. He was killed in front of the altar after a dispute with King Henry II. Thomas was later canonized as a saint and the site of his death became a popular spot for pilgrimage.

The cathedral’s purpose was transformed in 1540 under orders from King Henry VIII. Henry had its monastery closed but allowed the cathedral to remain open a place of prayer. In addition to its historic background, the cathedral is known for its medieval architecture and stained glass. Geoffey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales(1392) is based on a pilgrimage to the Canterbury Cathedral. The work is a series of stories told by thirty pilgrims as they travel to the cathedral.

St Augustine’s Abbey was said to have been built in 598 after St. Augustine arrived in southeastern England. The roughly thirty-acres of land was given to him by King Ethelbert of Kent. The building was founded by St. Augustine to house the monks that supported him and worked to convert others to Christianity. The abbey is known for being an important center for medieval book production. Before the introduction of the printing press, books were painstakingly copied by hand. As monks were typically one of the few people who could read and write, they became the primary scribes on the Middle Ages. As a result, the abbey and the town of Canterbury became a center of learning in medieval England.

According to the St Augustine’s Abbey entry on the English Heritage website, the abbey was originally built as a burial place for the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent. Under Henry VIII’s rule in the sixteenth century, much of the abbey was destroyed. In 1538, the last monks left the abbey.

In 2022, only two hundred books from the abbey remained, and the structure itself existed only as ruins. Though it was at one point one of the most important monasteries in England, the abbey was also used as a royal residence by Henry VIII. It was also leased to a number of nobles. The abbey’s gatehouse, also known as Fyndon’s Gate, is the best-known surviving feature of the abbey.

St Martin’s Church was given to St. Augustine after he arrived from Rome and began to convert the people to Christianity. Prior to St Augustine, Queen Bertha of Kent was said to have worshipped at St Martin’s, which was considered her chapel. her husband, King Ethelbert, also attended the church after he converted to Christianity. As of 2022, St. Martin’s was the oldest church in England in continuous use. It has served as a place of worship since the sixth century. The church underwent alterations and was expanded several times. One notable addition was a church tower built in the fourteenth century. The tower has three bells.

It is unclear if the building was first a church, mausoleum, or something else. The westernmost and oldest portion of the church was likely built before 597. The churchyard contains the graves of several famous local individuals, including the artist Thomas Sidney Cooper.

Significance

Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church serve as the historical footprint of the introduction of Christianity to Great Britain by St. Augustine. To become a World Heritage Site, locations must meet several established criteria. According to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention website, the Canterbury site meets at least three.

One UNESCO criterion is “to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius.” Canterbury Cathedral in particular is considered a prime example of this requirement. The World Heritage Convention notes that the cathedral’s east sections and stained-glass windows are particularly spectacular. Over the years, donations by people making pilgrimages to the cathedral have allowed for additional rebuilding and expansion of the structure. As a result, the cathedral remains a showcase for art, as well as an example of early-Gothic and late-Gothic architecture.

According to UNESCO, another criterion of a potential site is to be able “to exhibit an important interchange of human values … on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.” Although much of the architectural beauty of St Augustine’s Abbey lies in ruins due to its destruction during the reign of Henry VIII, its importance as a place for learning has been well documented in history. The abbey’s scriptorium—the place where monks wrote their manuscripts—made the abbey one of the pivotal learning spaces of the era. The books produced at the abbey allowed knowledge to extend throughout England at a time when monasteries and abbeys were the primary caretakers of writing and literature.

Another UNESCO benchmark achieved by the World heritage Site is that it is “directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.” Both individually or as a group, the trio of religious sites have been pivotal in the history of Christianity in Great Britain. According to Christian tradition, Pope Gregory the Great is said to have witnessed slaves for sale at the city market in Kent before sending St Augustine and a group of monks to convert the people of the region to Christianity. The murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket and the reported miracles performed after his death also propelled the Canterbury Cathedral into becoming an important pilgrimage site. Another major contributor to the site’s significance is its longevity as a religious center. Although the cathedral stopped serving as a monastery in 1540, it remained a site for prayer. St Martin’s Church, where St Augustine once worshipped and worked to convert the population, remained a place of worship more than 1,400 years later. The significance of St Augustine’s Abbey, though largely turned to ruins, is more rooted in the past than in modern-worship. However, its history as an educational center helps connect the past and present religious traditions among the three Canterbury sites.

Bibliography

“Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church.” World Heritage Convention, 2022, whc.unesco.org/en/list/496/. Accessed on 18 June 2022.

“Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.” The Becket Story, thebecketstory.org.uk/pilgrimage/canterbury-tales. Accessed on 30 June 2022.

“The Criteria for Selection.” World Heritage Convention, 2022, whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/. Accessed on 18 June 2022.

Jenkins, John. “Modelling the Cult of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.” Journal of the British Archaeological Association, vol. 173, no. 1, 2020, pp. 100–123, DOI: 10.1080/00681288.2020.1771897.

“More Recent Times.” Canterbury Cathedral, www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/history/cathedral-history-in-a-nutshell/. Accessed on 28 June 2022.

“The Origins of the Canterbury Cathedral.” Canterbury Cathedral, www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/history/cathedral-history-in-a-nutshell/. Accessed on 28 June 2022.

Ross, David. “St Augustine’s Abbey.” Britain Express, www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=27. Accessed on 30 June 2022.

“St Augustine’s Abbey.” English Heritage, www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-augustines-abbey/. Accessed on 28 June 2022.

“The Story of St Martin’s.” St Martin and St Paul, www.martinpaul.org/thestoryofstmartins.htm. Accessed on 30 June 2022.