Thomas Becket was murdered by knights of King Henry II in this cathedral's north transept in 1170 — canonized within three years, his shrine became one of medieval Europe's great pilgrimage destinations, the journey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are built around.
About Canterbury Cathedral
Augustine established Canterbury as England's primary see in 597 CE. Becket's murder in 1170 and rapid canonization created a pilgrimage industry that transformed the cathedral; Henry VIII's Dissolution destroyed the shrine but pilgrims still mark the spot where it stood.
Overview Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, occupying a position of spiritual authority that dates to 597 CE when Augustine arrived from Rome to begin the conversion of the English. The cathedral building visible today spans nearly a thousand years of construction — the crypt is Norman, dating to around 1100; the nave is Perpendicular Gothic from the late fourteenth century; the Bell Harry Tower that crowns the building was completed in 1498. The UNESCO World Heritage inscription covers the cathedral along with St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church.
“The UNESCO World Heritage inscription covers the cathedral along with St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church.”
The Story Behind It Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by four knights of King Henry II in the cathedral's north transept on 29 December 1170 — one of the most politically significant assassinations of medieval Europe. Henry had expressed frustrated desire to be rid of the turbulent priest; the knights took him literally. The murder shocked Europe; Becket was canonized within three years, and the cathedral became one of the great pilgrimage destinations of the medieval world — the journey that Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are organized around. The Trinity Chapel where Becket's shrine stood was destroyed by Henry VIII during the Dissolution, but pilgrims still come to the spot where it stood, marked by a candle.
The Experience
Stand in the north transept at the spot where Becket was murdered, visit the Trinity Chapel where the shrine stood (marked by a candle), walk the Norman crypt — one of England's largest — and attend choral evensong in the nave for the cathedral used as it was designed.
Why It Matters
The mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and one of medieval Europe's most important pilgrimage destinations — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with nearly a thousand years of continuous construction and use.
Why Visit
The murder spot in the north transept, marked simply and without theatrical staging, is among the most affecting places in any English building. The Norman crypt below — vast, shadowy, and largely unchanged since 1100 — provides the oldest layer of a building whose history is extraordinarily dense.
Insider Tips
- 1
Evensong is sung on most weekdays and is free to attend — a different experience from the tourist circuit.
- 2
The Norman crypt is the oldest and architecturally most significant part of the building; it's easy to rush through en route to the Trinity Chapel.
- 3
The spot where Becket was killed in the north transept is marked on the floor — spend time there rather than moving quickly to the shrine site.
- 4
St Augustine's Abbey ruins and St Martin's Church are part of the UNESCO site and both worth the short walk from the cathedral.
