Canterbury Cathedral

September 9th was a day of many firsts for me. Not only did I see my first castle, but also my first cathedral. Visiting Canterbury Cathedral was a great experience.I especially enjoyed that we took a guided tour. At Dover castle we all wandered around and tried to find stuff we thought was cool, but at Canterbury we had a guide that was able to point out things of note and interest as well as provide background information about the history of the cathedral. It was really cool to hear my guide, Margaret, tell stories about the cathedral being rebuilt, things being removed or destroyed by differing groups, and the many styles of architecture.

One of my favorite things about the cathedral was how the history was so layered. These layers were physically manifested in the architecture, art, and even the layout of the cathedral. The cathedral and the buildings that were scattered around it had been constructed over several periods of time. The architecture went from heavy and Romanesque to tall, perpendicular Gothic. There was a small room in the crypt where a wall had been removed to reveal a space underneath where there were even older paintings. The cathedral has changed hands several times in its history, and each group that came through left pieces of itself. Or in the case of the Puritans, removed pieces (particularly heads of statues) left by previous groups.

The well-known story of the martyrdom of Thomas Beckett adds another level of interest to the cathedral. As we paused at the altar that had been constructed on the site of his martyrdom, I felt a reverence for this man who had the courage to defy a king and friend for his beliefs.Although I know that the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was not actually upon the earth at the time, it is an excellent reminder that there have always been good men and women who were genuinely trying to live by the commandments of God.It is also a demonstration that the adversary has been fighting against good people and their values for many ages.

It was also interesting to me that, although the edifice we were inside was very old, the original cathedral that had been built in the time of St. Augustine was alive and was much older. Whenever I hear of a religious building that was destroyed, whether by nature or antagonistic men, and then rebuilt by the believers, I am reminded of the Nauvoo temple and the early saints. Although different Christian religions don’t always see eye to eye on matters of religion and religious administration, the willingness to show devotion to God and willingness to sacrifice for religious beliefs is a common ground. I have great admiration for the people who worked so hard to build that magnificent cathedral and great respect for the fact that parts of it have been rebuilt several times.

Canterbury was a very worthwhile fieldtrip and an excellent learning experience. I feel that my understanding of the history of Christianity in England, not to mention the roots of my own religion, was greatly supplemented by this opportunity to see firsthand this cathedral and hear stories of actual events that took place there.