Canterbury

Overview
Canterbury might have remained a backwater but for the Church. The city fell into severe decline after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the fifth century, being abandoned by its mercenary guards to the mercy of the invading Jutes and Anglo-Saxons. It was not until Christianity returned to England in 597AD, with the Gregorian Mission, that Canterbury's fortunes revived, for it was here that Saint Augustine chose to base his See in Kent, the headquarters for his efforts to win back the British Isles to the Catholic faith.

It was Canterbury Cathedral that lent the town new importance; it was the cathedral which drew in tradesmen and merchants; it was the cathedral which brought the city it's political importance when the Archbishop of Canterbury was granted jurisdiction over the church in England. The great church dominates the city, a constant reminder to the people that it is to God that their community owes its prosperity and status.

Canterbury is a popular centre of pilgrimage too; popular Anglo-Saxon saints and archbishops are buried here, beloved by the common people. Men like Augustine, the first Roman missionary; Saint Dunstan, who famously tweaked the Devil's nose with a pair of red-hot blacksmith's tongs; Saint Alphege, brutally martyred by the Vikings when he refused to allow them to demand a ransom from his flock, or Saint Anselm, the great theologian and scholar, who resisted the tyranny of William Rufus. The present successor to these illustrious men is Theobald of Bec. It is the ancient right of the Archbishop of Canterbury to crown the King of England, a duty Theobald refused to perform for King Stephen by anointing his son Eustace heir. Quite what the future holds for Archbishop Theobald now that the young man he snubbed holds the throne by force remains to be seen...