Canterbury Cathedral

Inside of Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

This Cathedral is the mother church of Anglican Christianity. One of the greatest aspects of this cathedral is its exterior. Its location was in a quant little town that is said to look similar to Switzerland. The best part of the tour was when our guide told us about the archbishop, Thomas Becket, and his murder. King Henry II appointed Thomas Becket to be the Archbishop of Canterbury thinking that he would be able to impose his will upon the powerful religious institution through his dear friend. King Henry II was mistaken. Thomas Becket had an allegiance to the church inspiring him to take a stand against the king. The king’s men were sent out to kill Thomas Becket. When they found him in his home and sanctuary (Canterbury Cathedral) they tried to take him from the holy space for execution. He would not leave the cathedral so the king’s men spilled his brain on the steps of his own altar. It’s a sad story because Thomas had done nothing wrong and the blame of his murder fell onto his former close friend King Henry II. The interesting part of the story is that King Henry felt so bad that the next day he walked the streets barefoot and let the monks of Canterbury Cathedral beat him. People take a pilgrimage to visit the crypt and memorial of Thomas Becket still today.