Canterbury’s martyr
Thomas Becket, the Archbishop who refused to bend — his murder in Canterbury Cathedral, his canonisation, and why the pilgrimage he inspired outlasted the king who ordered his death. (4 min read)
Today I am in Canterbury visiting the town which was the site of St Augustine’s abbey (first significant Christian holy place in Britain) and later the site of the martyrdom of St Thomas Becket.
Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in the Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170 by four knights who believed they were implementing the will of King Henry II who said that he wished to be set free from the interference of that meddlesome priest.
Becket had been appointed archbishop 8 years earlier at the insistence of the king. As they had been very close, and Becket was the king’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, the king assumed he would put the monarchy’s interests ahead of the church. This was not the case and there were years of tension and negotiations over the roles of church and state and with loyalty to the king.
In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury crowns monarchs. However, in 1170 there was a great to-do when Becket found out that Henry the Younger had been crowned by bishops loyal to the king. Thomas excommunicated these bishops and this incensed the king and caused him to utter the words that led to Becket’s demise.
You can read about Thomas murder on the internet, but the short version is that it was brutal and the crown of his head was chopped off.
Becket’s piety was immediately recognised and miracles were soon attributed to his intercession. Within 3 years he had been canonised by the Pope.
This was the era of relics and Canterbury became one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in the world (after Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostella). The saint’s mortal remains, and what they symbolised in terms of connection to the Roman Catholic Church, were too much for Henry VIII and the relics were ordered to be destroyed by King Henry VIII in the sixteenth century.
Today, a single candle remains lit in Canterbury Cathedral to mark the spot of Thomas’ tomb, although there are some theories that his relics were not destroyed and are elsewhere in the Cathedral.
In my opinion, Canterbury is the finest cathedral in Britain. I quite like the energy there, although the Anglican obsession with monarchy and soldiering is not something I can relate to Jesus.
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
iluminar.blog 