St Michael's Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral
St Michael's Chapel (also called the Warriors Chapel) in the south transept. It is filled with tombs and monuments and rarely opened to the public.
Arguably the most important of England's cathedrals and its Mother Church, few other buildings embody the nation's history as much as this one. It also bears the distinction of being the first major example of Gothic architecture in Britain, where French masons introduced the style during the rebuilding of the choir following a major fire in the 1170s. Throughout the following centuries it became one of Europe's leading centres of pilgrimage, when thousands flocked to venerate the shrine of murdered archbishop St Thomas Becket, but brought to an abrupt end with the English Reformation, when a saint who defied a monarch was viewed with particular enmity. Though all traces of the rich shrine were destroyed, the site of Becket's martyrdom in the north transept remains a place of reverence to this day.
The cathedral is a stunning building which represents both the earliest and latest styles of English Gothic architecture, from the French inspired eastern limb and apse, to the nave, transepts and the three towers, all soaring examples of the Perpendicular style, the central tower (the 'Bell Harry') being an especially fine structure (the north-west tower was rebuilt in the 1830s as a copy of its medieval neighbour on the south side following the demolition of an earlier Norman tower, thus the present symmetry of the west façade is a relatively recent feature, originally its mismatched towers would have given it a more Continental appearance).
The earliest parts of the cathedral however are Norman, represented the easternmost chapels and transepts flanking the choir, survivors of the fire of 1174, each transept being adorned by a richly decorated miniature tower. The crypt below is the finest in the country, extending below most of the east end (with a transitional early Gothic extension to the east under the apse). Superb examples of Romanesque art can be seen in many of the crypt's sculpted capitals, and the unusually well preserved murals in St Gabriel's chapel (sadly photography is forbidden in these areas).
The cathedral contains many notable tombs and monuments of all periods from the 13th to 20th centuries, foremost amongst them being the tombs of Edward the Black Prince (with a superb bronze effigy) and King Henry IV.
It's most celebrated feature is its wonderful collection of stained glass, much of it dating back to the late 12th and early 13th centuries including a sequence of the Ancestors of Christ and the especially beautiful 'Miracle windows' in the ambulatory (relating various miracles associated with Becket's shrine). The glass is justly famous as the very finest in Britain, its deep blues and reds often compared with the famous windows of Chartres.
On the north side many of the former monastic buildings remain, with a fine late medieval cloister and a vast rectangular chapter house. The cathedral library also stands here, but was rebuilt after being destroyed by bombing in World War II; fortunately all the medieval glass in the cathedral had been removed for safe-keeping throughout the war and damage to the building was otherwise superficial.
Canterbury Cathedral put simply invites superlatives, one of the most rewarding churches anywhere and a magnificent testament to England's Christian heritage.
St Michael's Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral
St Michael's Chapel (also called the Warriors Chapel) in the south transept. It is filled with tombs and monuments and rarely opened to the public.
Arguably the most important of England's cathedrals and its Mother Church, few other buildings embody the nation's history as much as this one. It also bears the distinction of being the first major example of Gothic architecture in Britain, where French masons introduced the style during the rebuilding of the choir following a major fire in the 1170s. Throughout the following centuries it became one of Europe's leading centres of pilgrimage, when thousands flocked to venerate the shrine of murdered archbishop St Thomas Becket, but brought to an abrupt end with the English Reformation, when a saint who defied a monarch was viewed with particular enmity. Though all traces of the rich shrine were destroyed, the site of Becket's martyrdom in the north transept remains a place of reverence to this day.
The cathedral is a stunning building which represents both the earliest and latest styles of English Gothic architecture, from the French inspired eastern limb and apse, to the nave, transepts and the three towers, all soaring examples of the Perpendicular style, the central tower (the 'Bell Harry') being an especially fine structure (the north-west tower was rebuilt in the 1830s as a copy of its medieval neighbour on the south side following the demolition of an earlier Norman tower, thus the present symmetry of the west façade is a relatively recent feature, originally its mismatched towers would have given it a more Continental appearance).
The earliest parts of the cathedral however are Norman, represented the easternmost chapels and transepts flanking the choir, survivors of the fire of 1174, each transept being adorned by a richly decorated miniature tower. The crypt below is the finest in the country, extending below most of the east end (with a transitional early Gothic extension to the east under the apse). Superb examples of Romanesque art can be seen in many of the crypt's sculpted capitals, and the unusually well preserved murals in St Gabriel's chapel (sadly photography is forbidden in these areas).
The cathedral contains many notable tombs and monuments of all periods from the 13th to 20th centuries, foremost amongst them being the tombs of Edward the Black Prince (with a superb bronze effigy) and King Henry IV.
It's most celebrated feature is its wonderful collection of stained glass, much of it dating back to the late 12th and early 13th centuries including a sequence of the Ancestors of Christ and the especially beautiful 'Miracle windows' in the ambulatory (relating various miracles associated with Becket's shrine). The glass is justly famous as the very finest in Britain, its deep blues and reds often compared with the famous windows of Chartres.
On the north side many of the former monastic buildings remain, with a fine late medieval cloister and a vast rectangular chapter house. The cathedral library also stands here, but was rebuilt after being destroyed by bombing in World War II; fortunately all the medieval glass in the cathedral had been removed for safe-keeping throughout the war and damage to the building was otherwise superficial.
Canterbury Cathedral put simply invites superlatives, one of the most rewarding churches anywhere and a magnificent testament to England's Christian heritage.