Thomas Godfrey Godfrey Faussett

“ On the rebuilding of the cathedral after a fire, in 1175, a mag nificent shrine was erected for him in a new chapel built for the purpose, which became thronged for three centuries by pilgrims and worshippers of all classes, from kings and emperors downwards. Henceforward the interests of the city became bound up in those of the cathedral, and were shown in the large number of hostels for the accom modation of the pilgrims, and of shops containing wares especially suited to their tastes. A pilgrimage to Canter bury became not only a pious exercise, but a fashionable summer excursion ”

“ Here lived and ruled Augustiua anc the succeeding archbishops, and here under their auspices from the time of Ethelbert and Augustine downwards arose two of the principal monasteries of England, the abbey of St Augustine and the priory of Christ Church, the latter ruled by a prior only, as acknowledging he archbishop for its abbot. ”

“ This early church and its adjacent buildings were destroyed and entirely rebuilt by Archbishop Laufranc iu 1070, and the choir was again rebuilt on a larger scale by his successor Arch bishop Anselm, whose work, in turn, on being restored after the fire of 1172, was then considerably enlarged, especially by the addition of a chapel and corona, both dedicated to St Thomas, at its eastern end. In this state substantially the choir remains to the present day. Lanfranc s nave survived till the 14th century, when it was rebuilt, with the exception of one western tower, taken down in 1834. ”

“ These were long rivals in mportance and wealth, in which the abbey held for several centuries the advantage, as possessing the shrines of the jarlier archbishops, tht chief saints of the English Church, ill the pre-eminence of the priory in turn became decidedly established by the murder of Archbishop Becket (1170) in ts cathedral church, his canonization as St Thomas of Canterbury, and the resort of the Christian world on iilgrimage to his shrine. ”