The Canterbury Cathedral
For at least fourteen hundred years the worship of God has been offered on the site of this Cathedral, and through the prayers of the Church his power and grace have shaped human lives. Ever since the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the Cathedral in 1170, Canterbury has attracted thousands of pilgrims. This tradition continues to this day, and a large team of Welcomers, Guides, Cathedral Assistants and Chaplains are there to give all visitors a warm welcome.
The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ Canterbury is a holy place of pilgrimage, founded by St Augustine for the worship of Almighty God and the honour of Christ our Saviour.
It is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate
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Benedict as a formal monastic community. The Benedictine community of monks continued until the monastery was dissolved in 1540.
The next year a new Foundation, called the Dean and Chapter, was constituted by Royal Charter. Today there is a Dean and four Residentiary Canons in the Chapter, who, with the Precentor, make up the establishment of full-time clergy.
Canterbury Cathedral is linked to the lives of many great ecclesiastical and national figures. Among the former are the Saints of Canterbury -- Augustine, Theodore, Odo, Dunstan, Alphege, Anselm, Thomas and Edmund - all of whom were Archbishops of Canterbury and held in universal respect.
The one who became most famous of all was Thomas Becket, who was murdered in his cathedral on 29 December 1170. Appointed by his King and friend, Henry II, to bring the Church to the heel of the monarchy, he did the reverse. He espoused its rights in the face of the King's desire to control them.
Four knights, with their own agendas of complaint, thinking to ingratiate themselves with the King, came to Canterbury and killed the Archbishop in his own Cathedral.
In the Reformation period Canterbury had a series of distinguished Archbishops, among them Thomas Cranmer, who compiled the first two Prayer Books and established what was to become the liturgical tradition of the Church of England and Anglican Churches the world over.
Cardinal Pole was Archbishop during the reign of
John Calvin He spelled out his doctrine in 1536 called Institutes of the Christian Religion. He formed Calvinism.
During the Medieval Era, the church and the state were two of the most powerful entities in almost every area of Europe. Because of the power of each, conflicts occurred often between the two entities. The state, in the form of a King in a monarchy for example, might try to influence the appointment of a bishop to the church. Or, the church could contest that someone be tried under canon laws instead of secular laws. A good example of the church and state coming into conflict with each other is the murder of Thomas Becket. Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170 by a group of knights who believed that King Henry II of England had ordered the murder of Becket after a dispute between the two. Immediately after the murder, Becket was canonized and recognized as a martyr to the church and ever since pilgrims have gone to Canterbury Cathedral to honor and remember Becket.
Henry took a big step against the Catholic Church when he began the, “Dissolution of the Monasteries” in 1538. Henry had sent inspectors to watch the behavior of the monks and if the monasteries were being run as Henry wanted. Henry discovered that doing the complete opposite of what he wanted or
Sometimes we have to look beyond what we see on the outside to understand something more deeply. In the short story Cathedral By Raymond Carver, the narrator has an attitude of being selfish, and jealous through the story. The narrator’s wife invites a blind man, Robert, to come stay in their house for a short time while the man visits family members of his own wife who recently passed. The narrator is not enthusiastic because blind people make the narrator uncomfortable, mainly because the narrator has no real experience with the blind. In addition, to his uneasiness with the blind the narrator is uncomfortable with the relationship his wife and the blind man have. The wife and Robert, the blind man, have maintained a close
The St. Paul Cathedral began as a small log chapel in Pig’s Eye Landing, which was the name of St. Paul during the mid 1800s. When Bishop Cretin became the Bishop of St. Paul in the 1850s, he made the log chapel the Cathedral of St. Paul. As a result of the population growth, the building had to become bigger and he issued the construction for a new Cathedral. A newer Cathedral was built after population continued to rise in the diocese. Construction took a lot longer than expected and a few St. Paul Bishops went through their term while construction continued. Since the newest St. Paul Cathedral opened, many renovations and restorations have been performed in order to keep up the quality and stability of the building.
It is human nature to shy away from social situations that make us uncomfortable. Also, as a people with great pride, we often find it difficult to admit when we have been iniquitous, or to allow ourselves to be open to humbling experiences. Sometimes though, it is not entirely due to intolerance that we allow ourselves to make ill-informed judgments. Raymond Carver was a writer with some insight concerning these very ideas. In his short story, “Cathedral,” Carver uses a nameless narrator and his interactions with a blind man to illustrate how a lack of experience can lead to ignorance and thus prejudice. Through the development of this character,
It was a combination of the personal authority of the abbots, the benedictine observence of the Cluniacs and the repute and public esteem in which the order was held that resulted in the expansion of the Order. The success of the order in it’s resoration of benedictine observence attracted invitations by lay magnates for the Cluniacs to reform their monastries, and gifts of houses, some new foundations, some old abbeys. Such reform was not always welcomed by the monks of the profered houses, such as the monks of Fleury. Papal paronage, and the will of lay benefactors meant that from the time of Odilo these reformed houses became dependecies of Cluny. This was not always put into effect immediately, and the tightness of the bond varied from house to house. It was the independence granted in the founding charter that allowed the Order to expand this way, and develop independently. Not only was Cluny free from control of any local magnate or bishop, it was also trusted by all due to this autonomy.
about life in the Cathedral in the period immediately prior to the dissolution can be found
The speed, extent and tenacity of Cistercian expansion was by all accounts extraordinary, and one that seemed to differ greatly from the other monastic movements of the twelfth century. Their growth from one to seven foundations, to more than three hundred in the space of fifty years was almost entirely unexpected by contemporary standards. However, when one delves into the history of the order and looks at the factors that differentiated it from other similar monastic institutions of the same period one begins to see a number of portentous factors that undoubtedly contributed to such explosive growth.
St Thomas Becket (December 21, 1118 – December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. He engaged in a conflict with King Henry II over the rights and privileges of the Church and was assassinated by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral.
Chapter or Rule 1: Concerning the Kinds of Monks and Their Manner of Living. In this chapter Saint Benedict distinguishes four different types of monks. The Cenobites, whom live in a monastery and serve under a rule or an abbot. The second kind are Anchorites or hermits, these are seasoned monks who have lived in the monastery and are well prepared for a life of solace. Thirdly are the Sarabaites whom live in clusters with no rule or abbot; they minister to the world, guided by their own greed and pleasure. Lastly are the Gyratory whom move amongst monasteries and are even worse than the
[...]” (“Thomas Becket [c. 1120 - 1170”]). The two friends continued to rule in peace until an incident in 1164. King Henry II passed a law concerning Church court and Royal court that Thomas Becket disagreed with, causing a split in their friendship (Trueman). After the argument Henry II said “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” which led to four of his Knights to murder Becket in his own cathedral (Beers et
In the early 1500s, Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, grew in the favor of Henry VIII. When Henry VIII was attempting to divorce Catherine of Aragon, Thomas Cranmer helped Henry VIII build his case for the annulment of the marriage. Thomas Cranmer also supported the law of Royal Supremacy, which made the king the head of the Church. These things led to Thomas Cranmer getting in Henry VIII “good books” which later helped him once Edward VI acceded the throne. Thomas Cranmer’s willingness to compromise helped him reach such a powerful position in the church so quickly. If Cranmer had gone about things the way Luther did, he would have easily been executed for heresy and defying the Law of Treason and Heresy by revolting against the king. By compromising some
At this point in his life, Augustine is recognized for doing many things for the Church as a priest, author, and defender of faith. As an author he wrote Confessions, his spiritual autobiography, and City of God, his great work describing the Christian philosophy throughout history. In this magnificent work,
It could be argued that it was Augustine's famous mission in 597 A.D. from the Pope in Rome to King Aethelbert of Kent that really set up the future course of Christianity in Britain, creating a strong alliance between Christianity and Kingship. We do know that the church, St Peter on the wall was built in 654 A. D. and is known as the oldest church in England that is still in use.