Saturday, December 29, 2012 - Litany Lane Blog:
Hypostasis, First John 2:3-11, Psalms 96, Luke 2:22-35, St Thomas Becket, Presentation in the Temple, Canterbury CathedralGood Day Bloggers! Joyeux Noelle et Bonne Annee!
Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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December 25, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Our Lady came with little Jesus in her arms and she did not give a message, but little Jesus began to speak and said : “I am your peace, live my commandments.” With a sign of the cross, Our Lady and little Jesus blessed us together.
December 2, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Dear
children, with motherly love and motherly patience anew I call you to
live according to my Son, to spread His peace and His love, so that, as
my apostles, you may accept God's truth with all your heart and pray for
the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then you will be able to faithfully serve
my Son, and show His love to others with your life. According to the
love of my Son and my love, as a mother, I strive to bring all of my
strayed children into my motherly embrace and to show them the way of
faith. My children, help me in my motherly battle and pray with me that
sinners may become aware of their sins and repent sincerely. Pray also
for those whom my Son has chosen and consecrated in His name. Thank
you."
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Today's Word: hypostasis hy·pos·ta·sis [hahy-pos-tuh-sis]
Origin: 1580–90; < Late Latin < Greek hypóstasis that which settles at the bottom; substance, nature, essence, equivalent to hypo- hypo- + stásis standing, stasis
noun, plural hy·pos·ta·ses [-seez] Show IPA .
1.Metaphysics .
a. something that stands under and supports; foundation.
b. the underlying or essential part of anything as distinguished from attributes; substance, essence, or essential principle.
2.Theology .
a. one of the three real and distinct substances in the one undivided substance or essence of God.
b. a person of the Trinity.
c. the one personality of Christ in which His two natures, human and divine, are united.
3. Medicine/Medical .
a. the accumulation of blood or its solid components in parts of an organ or body due to poor circulation.
b. such sedimentation, as in a test tube.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 96:1-2, 2-3, 5-6
1 Sing a new song to Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!2 Sing to Yahweh, bless his name! Proclaim his salvation day after day,
3 declare his glory among the nations, his marvels to every people!
5 All the gods of the nations are idols! It was Yahweh who made the heavens;
6 in his presence are splendour and majesty, in his sanctuary power and beauty.
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Today's Epistle - First John 2:3-11
3 In this way we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.4 Whoever says, 'I know him' without keeping his commandments, is a liar, and truth has no place in him.
5 But anyone who does keep his word, in such a one God's love truly reaches its perfection. This is the proof that we are in God.
6 Whoever claims to remain in him must act as he acted.
7 My dear friends, this is not a new commandment I am writing for you, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the message you have heard.
8 Yet in another way, I am writing a new commandment for you -- and this is true for you, just as much as for him -- for darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
9 Whoever claims to be in light but hates his brother is still in darkness.
10 Anyone who loves his brother remains in light and there is in him nothing to make him fall away.
11 But whoever hates his brother is in darkness and is walking about in darkness not knowing where he is going, because darkness has blinded him.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 2, 22-35
And when the day
came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they
took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord - observing what is
written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be
consecrated to the Lord - and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance
with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or
two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He
was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of
Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by
the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on
the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the
Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: Now, Master, you are letting your servant go in peace as you promised; for my eyes have seen the salvation which you have made ready in the sight of the nations; a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel. As
the child's father and mother were wondering at the things that were
being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
'Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel,
destined to be a sign that is opposed - and a sword will pierce your
soul too - so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.'
Reflection• The first two chapters of the
Gospel of Luke are not a history according to the meaning that we give
to history. They rather serve more than everything else, as a mirror in
which the converted Christians from Paganism, discover that Christ had
come to fulfil the prophecies of the Old Testament and to respond to the
more profound aspirations of the human heart. They are then, symbol and
mirror of what was happening among the Christians at the time of Luke.
The communities coming from Paganism were born from the communities of
converted Jews, but they were diverse. The New did not correspond to
what the Old imagined and expected. It was a “sign of contradiction” (Lk
2, 34), it caused tension and it was a source of great suffering, of
pain. In the attitude of Mary the image of the People of God, Luke
represents a model of how to persevere in the New, without being
unfaithful to the Old.
• In these two chapters of the Gospel of Luke, everything turns around the birth of the two children: John and Jesus. The two chapters make us feel the perfume of the Gospel of Luke. In them, the environment is one of tenderness and of praise. From the beginning to the end, there is praise and singing, because, finally, the mercy of God has been revealed in Jesus; he fulfils the promises made to the Fathers. And God fulfils them in behalf of the poor, of the anawim, like Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, Anne and Simeon, the shepherds. All of them knew how to wait for his coming.
• The insistence of Luke in saying that Mary and Joseph fulfilled everything which the Law prescribes, recalls what Paul writes in the Letter to the Galatians: “When the completion of the time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law so that we could receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4, 4-5).
• The story of the old Simeon teaches that hope, even if not immediately, will be realized some day. It is not frustrated, it is realized. But the way does not always correspond to what we imagine. Simeon was waiting for the glorious Messiah of Israel. Going to the Temple in the midst of many couples who were taking their child, he sees the realization of his hope and of the hope of the People: “My eyes have seen the salvation, which you have made ready in the sight of the nations, a light of revelation for the Gentiles and glory for your People Israel”.
• In the text of today’s Gospel, we have the preferred themes of Luke, that is, a strong insistence on the action of the Holy Spirit, on prayer and on the prayer environment, a continuous attention to the action and participation of the women and a constant concern for the poor and of the message for the poor.
Personal questions• Would you be capable to perceive in a poor child the light to enlighten the nations?
• Would you be capable of waiting your whole life for the realization of your hope?
• Would you be capable of waiting your whole life for the realization of your hope?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: St Thomas Becket
Feast Day: December 29
Patron Saint: Exeter College, Oxford; Portsmouth; Arbroath Abbey; secular clergy
Thomas Becket (also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London, and later Thomas à Becket; circa 1118 – 29 December 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II of England over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III.
The main sources for the life of Becket are a number of biographies
that were written by contemporaries. A few of these documents are by
unknown writers, although traditional historiography has given them
names. The known biographers are John of Salisbury, Edward Grim, Benedict of Peterborough, William of Canterbury, William fitz Stephen, Guernes of Pont-Sainte-Maxence, Robert of Cricklade, Alan of Tewkesbury, Benet of St Albans, and Herbert of Bosham.
The other biographers, who remain anonymous, are generally given the
pseudonyms of Anonymous I, Anonymous II (or Anonymous of Lambeth), and
Anonymous III (or Lansdowne Anonymous). Besides these accounts, there
are also two other accounts that are likely contemporary that appear in
the Quadrilogus II and the Thomas Saga Erkibyskups.
Besides these biographies, there is also the mention of the events of
Becket's life in the chroniclers of the time. These include Robert of Torigni's work, Roger of Howden's Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi and Chronica, Ralph Diceto's works, William of Newburgh's Historia Rerum, and Gervase of Canterbury's works.
Early life
Stained glass window of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.
Becket was born about 1118, or in 1120 according to later tradition. He was born in Cheapside,
London, on 21 December, which was the feast day of St Thomas the
Apostle. He was the son of Gilbert Beket and Gilbert's wife Matilda. Gilbert's father was from Thierville in the lordship of Brionne in Normandy, and was either a small landowner or a petty knight. Matilda was also of Norman ancestry, and her family may have originated near Caen. Gilbert was perhaps related to Theobald of Bec,
whose family also was from Thierville. Gilbert began his life as a
merchant, perhaps as a textile merchant, but by the 1120s he was living
in London and was a property-owner, living on the rental income from his
properties. He also served as the sheriff of the city at some point. They were buried in Old St. Paul's Cathedral.
One of Becket's father's rich friends, Richer de L'Aigle, often invited Thomas to his estates in Sussex
where Becket was exposed to hunting and hawking. According to Grim,
Becket learned much from Richer. Richer was later a signatory at the Constitutions of Clarendon against Thomas.
Beginning when he was 10, Becket was sent as a student to Merton Priory
in England and later attended a grammar school in London, perhaps the
one at St Paul's Cathedral. He did not study any subjects beyond the trivium and quadrivium at these schools. Later, he spent about a year in Paris around age 20. He did not, however, study canon or civil law at this time and his Latin
skill always remained somewhat rudimentary. Sometime after Becket began
his schooling, Gilbert Beket suffered financial reverses, and the
younger Becket was forced to earn a living as a clerk. Gilbert first
secured a place for his son in the business of a relative Osbert
Huitdeniers, and then later Becket acquired a position in the household
of Theobald of Bec, by now the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Theobald entrusted him with several important missions to Rome and also sent him to Bologna and Auxerre to study canon law. Theobald in 1154 named Becket Archdeacon of Canterbury, and other ecclesiastical offices included a number of benefices, prebends at Lincoln Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral, and the office of Provost of Beverley. His efficiency in those posts led to Theobald recommending him to King Henry II for the vacant post of Lord Chancellor, to which Becket was appointed in January 1155.
As Chancellor, Becket enforced the king’s traditional sources of
revenue that were exacted from all landowners, including churches and
bishoprics. King Henry even sent his son Henry
to live in Becket's household, it being the custom then for noble
children to be fostered out to other noble houses. The younger Henry was
reported to have said Becket showed him more fatherly love in a day
than his father did for his entire life. An emotional attachment to
Becket as a foster-father may have been one of the reasons the younger
Henry would turn against his father.
Primacy
Becket was nominated as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, several
months after the death of Theobald. His election was confirmed on 23 May
1162 by a royal council of bishops and noblemen.
Henry may have hoped that Becket would continue to put the royal
government first, rather than that of the church. The famous
transformation of Becket into an ascetic occurred at this time.
A rift grew between Henry and Becket as the new archbishop resigned
his chancellorship and sought to recover and extend the rights of the
archbishopric. This led to a series of conflicts with the king,
including that over the jurisdiction of secular courts over English
clergymen, which accelerated antipathy between Becket and the king.
Attempts by King Henry to influence the other bishops against Becket
began in Westminster in October 1163, where the King sought approval of the traditional rights of the royal government in regard to the church. This led to Clarendon, where Becket was officially asked to sign off on the King’s rights or face political repercussions.
The Constitutions of Clarendon
King Henry II presided over the assemblies of most of the higher English clergy at Clarendon Palace
on 30 January 1164. In sixteen constitutions, he sought less clerical
independence and a weaker connection with Rome. He employed all his
skills to induce their consent and was apparently successful with all
but Becket. Finally, even Becket expressed his willingness to agree to
the substance of the Constitutions of Clarendon, but he still refused to formally sign the documents. Henry summoned Becket to appear before a great council at Northampton Castle
on 8 October 1164, to answer allegations of contempt of royal authority
and malfeasance in the Chancellor's office. Convicted on the charges,
Becket stormed out of the trial and fled to the Continent.
Henry pursued the fugitive archbishop with a series of edicts, aimed
at all his friends and supporters as well as Becket himself; but King Louis VII of France offered Becket protection. He spent nearly two years in the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny, until Henry's threats against the order obliged him to return to Sens. Becket fought back by threatening excommunication and interdict against the king and bishops and the kingdom, but Pope Alexander III, though sympathising with him in theory, favoured a more diplomatic approach. Papal legates were sent in 1167 with authority to act as arbitrators.
In 1170, Alexander sent delegates to impose a solution to the
dispute. At that point, Henry offered a compromise that would allow
Thomas to return to England from exile.
Assassination
Becket's assassination and funeral, from a French enamelled chasse made about 1190–1200, one of about 45 surviving examples.
In June 1170, Roger de Pont L'Évêque, the archbishop of York, along with Gilbert Foliot, the bishop of London, and Josceline de Bohon,
the bishop of Salisbury, crowned Henry the Young King at York. This was
a breach of Canterbury's privilege of coronation, and in November 1170
Becket excommunicated all three. While the three clergymen fled to the
king in Normandy, Becket continued to excommunicate his opponents in the church, the news of which also reached Henry.
Upon hearing reports of Becket's actions, Henry is said to have
uttered words that were interpreted by his men as wishing Becket killed. The king's exact words are in doubt and several versions have been reported. The most commonly quoted, as handed down by "oral tradition", is "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?", but according to historian Simon Schama
this is incorrect: he accepts the account of the contemporary
biographer Edward Grim, writing in Latin, who gives us "What miserable
drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who
let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born
cleric?" Many variations have found their way into popular culture.
Altar marking the spot of Thomas Becket's martyrdom, Canterbury Cathedral.
Whatever Henry said, it was interpreted as a royal command, and four knights, Reginald fitzUrse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy, and Richard le Breton, set out to confront the Archbishop of Canterbury.
On 29 December 1170 they arrived at Canterbury. According to accounts
left by the monk Gervase of Canterbury and eyewitness Edward Grim, they
placed their weapons under a tree outside the cathedral and hid their
mail armour under cloaks before entering to challenge Becket. The
knights informed Becket he was to go to Winchester
to give an account of his actions, but Becket refused. It was not until
Becket refused their demands to submit to the king's will that they
retrieved their weapons and rushed back inside for the killing.[ Becket, meanwhile, proceeded to the main hall for vespers.
The four knights, wielding drawn swords, caught up with him in a spot
near a door to the monastic cloister, the stairs into the crypt, and the
stairs leading up into the quire of the cathedral, where the monks were chanting vespers.
Several contemporary accounts of what happened next exist; of
particular note is that of Edward Grim, who was himself wounded in the
attack. This is part of the account from Edward Grim:
...The wicked knight leapt suddenly upon him, cutting off the top of the crown which the unction of sacred chrism had dedicated to God. Next he received a second blow on the head, but still he stood firm and immovable. At the third blow he fell on his knees and elbows, offering himself a living sacrifice, and saying in a low voice, 'For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.' But the third knight inflicted a terrible wound as he lay prostrate. By this stroke, the crown of his head was separated from the head in such a way that the blood white with the brain, and the brain no less red from the blood, dyed the floor of the cathedral. The same clerk who had entered with the knights placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr, and, horrible to relate, scattered the brains and blood about the pavements, crying to the others, 'Let us away, knights; this fellow will arise no more.
Aftermath
St. Thomas Becket consagrations, death and burial, at wall paintings in Santa Maria de Terrassa (Terrassa, Catalonia), romanesque frescoes, ca. 1200
Following Becket's death, the monks prepared his body for burial. According to some accounts, it was discovered that Becket had worn a hairshirt under his archbishop's garments—a sign of penance. Soon after, the faithful throughout Europe began venerating Becket as a martyr, and on 21 February 1173 — little more than two years after his death — he was canonised by Pope Alexander III in St. Peter's Church in Segni. On 12 July 1174, in the midst of the Revolt of 1173–1174, Henry humbled himself with public penance at Becket's tomb as well as at the church of St. Dunstan's, which became one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in England.
Becket's assassins fled north to Knaresborough Castle, which was held by Hugh de Morville, where they remained for about a year. De Morville held property in Cumbria
and this may also have provided a convenient bolt-hole, as the men
prepared for a longer stay in the separate kingdom of Scotland. They
were not arrested and neither did Henry confiscate their lands, but he
failed to help them when they sought his advice in August 1171. Pope
Alexander excommunicated all four. Seeking forgiveness, the assassins
travelled to Rome and were ordered by the Pope to serve as knights in
the Holy Lands for a period of fourteen years.
The monks were afraid that Becket's body might be stolen. To prevent
this Becket's remains were placed beneath the floor of the eastern crypt
of the cathedral. A stone cover was placed over the burial place with two holes where pilgrims could insert their heads and kiss the tomb;
this arrangement is illustrated in the 'Miracle Windows' of the Trinity
Chapel. A guard chamber (now called the Wax Chamber) had a clear view
of the grave. In 1220, Becket's bones were moved to a new gold-plated
and bejewelled shrine behind the high altar in the Trinity Chapel. The
shrine was supported by three pairs of pillars, placed on a raised
platform with three steps. This is also illustrated in one of the
miracle windows. Canterbury, because of its religious history, had
always seen a large number of pilgrims. However, after the death of
Thomas Becket, the number of pilgrims visiting the city rose rapidly.
Cult in the Middle Ages
Candle marking the former spot of the shrine of Thomas Becket, at Canterbury Cathedral
In 1220, Becket's remains were relocated from this first tomb to a shrine, in the recently completed Trinity Chapel where it stood until it was destroyed in 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, on orders from King Henry VIII. The king also destroyed Becket's bones and ordered that all mention of his name be obliterated. The pavement where the shrine stood is today marked by a lit candle.
As the scion of the leading mercantile dynasty of later centuries, Mercers, Becket was very much regarded as a Londoner by the citizens and was adopted as the London's co-patron saint with St Paul: both their images appeared on the seals of the city and of the Lord Mayor. The Bridge House Estates seal used only the image of Becket, while the reverse featured a depiction of his martyrdom.
Local legends regarding Becket arose after his canonisation. Though they are typical hagiographical stories, they also display Becket’s particular gruffness. "Becket's Well", in Otford, Kent,
is said to have been created after Becket had become displeased with
the taste of the local water. Two springs of clear water are said to
have bubbled up after he struck the ground with his crozier. The absence
of nightingales in Otford is also ascribed to Becket, who is said to
have been so disturbed in his devotions by the song of a nightingale
that he commanded that none should sing in the town ever again. In the
town of Strood, also in Kent, Becket is said to have caused the
inhabitants of the town and their descendants to be born with tails. The
men of Strood had sided with the king in his struggles against the
archbishop, and to demonstrate their support, had cut off the tail of
Becket’s horse as he passed through the town.
The saint's fame quickly spread throughout the Norman world. The first holy image of Becket is thought to be a mosaic icon still visible in Monreale Cathedral, in Sicily,
created shortly after his death. Becket's cousins obtained refuge at
the Sicilian court during his exile, and King William II of Sicily wed a
daughter of Henry II. The principal church of the Sicilian city of Marsala is dedicated to St. Thomas Becket. Over forty-five medieval chasse reliquaries decorated in champlevé enamel showing similar scenes from Becket's life survive, including the Becket Casket in London (V&A Museum).
Legacy
- Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is set in a company of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.
- The story of Becket's life became a popular theme for the medieval Nottingham Alabaster carvers. One set of Becket panels is displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
- Modern works based on the story of Thomas Becket include T. S. Eliot's play Murder in the Cathedral, Jean Anouilh's play Becket, which was made into a movie with the same title, and Paul Webb's play Four Nights in Knaresborough. Webb has adapted his play for the screen and sold the rights to Harvey and Bob Weinstein.[20] The struggle between Church's and King's power is the main theme of Ken Follett's novel The Pillars of the Earth, of which one of the last scenes features the murder of Thomas Becket.
- The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, interfaith, legal and educational institute dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions, took its inspiration and namesake from Thomas Becket.[21]
- In a 2006 poll by BBC History magazine for "worst Briton" of the previous millennium, Becket came second behind Jack the Ripper.[22] The poll was dismissed as "daft" in The Guardian, and the result disputed by Anglicans and Catholics.[22][23] Historians had nominated one person per century, and for the 12th century John Hudson chose Becket for being "greedy", "hypocritical", "founder of gesture politics" and "master of the soundbite".[22] The magazine editor suggested most other nominees were too obscure for voters[22]
- There are many churches named after Thomas Becket in Great-Britain, including Church of St Thomas the Martyr, Monmouth,[24] St Thomas à Becket Church, Pensford,[25] St Thomas à Becket Church, Widcombe,[26] Church of St Thomas à Becket, Capel,[27] St Thomas the Martyr, Bristol[27] and St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford.[28] and in France, including Église Saint-Thomas de Cantorbéry at Mont-Saint-Aignan (Upper-Normandy),[29] Église Saint-Thomas-Becket at Gravelines (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), Église Saint-Thomas Becket at Avrieux (Rhône-Alpes), Église saint-Thomas Becket at Bénodet (Brittany),[30] etc.
References
- Barlow, Frank (1986). Thomas Becket. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07175-1.
- Barlow, Frank (2004). "Becket, Thomas (1120?–1170)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/27201. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27201. Retrieved 17 April 2011. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- Butler, Alban (1991). Walsh, Michael. ed. Butler's Lives of the Saints. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
- Douglas, David C.; Greenway, George W. (1953). English Historical Documents 1042–1189. 2 (Second, 1981 ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-14367-5.
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Hutton, William Holden (1910). Thomas Becket – Archbishop of Canterbury. London: Pitman and Sons Ltd. ISBN 1-4097-8808-3.
- Knowles, Elizabeth M. (1999). Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (Fifth ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860173-9.
- Lee, Christopher M. (1997). This Sceptred Isle. London: BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-38384-4.
- Robertson, James Craigie (1876). Materials for the History of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. ii. London: Longman.
- Schama, Simon (2002). A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World? : 3000 BC-AD 1603. London: BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-38497-2.
- Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn (1855). Historical Memorials of Canterbury. London: John Murray.
- Staunton, Michael (2006). Thomas Becket and His Biographers. Woodbridge, UK: The Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-271-2.
- Warren, W. L. (1973). Henry II. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03494-5.
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Today's Snippet I:
Book 4, Chapter 7
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE PRESENTATION OF THE INFANT JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.
The sacred humanity of Christ belonged to the eternal Father
not only because it was created like other beings, but it was his special
property by virtue of the hypostatic union with the person of the Word, for this
person of the Word, being his Onlybegotten Son, was engendered of his substance,
true God of true God. Nevertheless the eternal Father had decreed, that his Son
should be presented to Him in the temple in mysterious compliance with the law,
of which Christ our Lord was the end (Rom. 10, 4). It was established for no
other purpose than that the just men of the old Testament should perpetually
sanctify and offer to the Lord their first-born sons, in the hope that one thus
presented might prove to be the Son of God and a Child of the Mother of the
expected Messias (Exod. 13, 2). According to our way of thinking
his Majesty acted like men, who are apt to repeat and enjoy over and over again
a thing which has caused them enjoyment. For although the Father understood and
knew all things in his infinite wisdom, He sought pleasure in the offering of
the incarnate Word, which by so many titles already belonged to Him.
This will of the eternal Father, which was conformable to
that of his Son in so far as He was God, was known to the Mother of life and of
the human nature of the Word; for She saw that all his interior actions
were in unison with the will of his eternal Father. Full of this holy science
the great Princess passed the night before his presentation in the temple in
divine colloquies. Speaking to the Father She said: "My Lord and God
most high, Father of my Lord, a festive day for heaven and earth will be that,
in which I shall bring and offer to Thee in thy holy temple the living Host,
which is at the same time the Treasure of thy Divinity. Rich, O my Lord and God,
is this oblation; and Thou canst well pour forth, in return for it, thy mercies
upon the human race: pardoning the sinners, that have turned from the straight
path, consoling the afflicted, helping the needy, enriching the poor, succoring
the weak, enlightening the blind, and meeting those who have strayed away. This
is, my Lord, what I ask of thee in offering to Thee thy Onlybegotten, who, by
thy merciful condescension is also my Son. If Thou hast given Him to me as a
God, I return Him to Thee as God and man; his value is infinite, and what I ask
of Thee is much less. In opulence do I return to thy holy temple, from which I
departed poor; and my soul shall magnify Thee forever, because thy divine right
hand has shown itself toward me so liberal and powerful."
On the next morning, the Sun of heaven being now ready to
issue from its purest dawning, the Virgin Mary, on whose arms He reclined, and
being about to rise up in full view of the world, the heavenly Lady, having
provided the turtle-dove and two candles, wrapped Him in swaddling-clothes and
betook Herself with saint Joseph from their lodging to the temple. The holy
angels, who had come with them from Bethlehem, again formed in procession in
corporeal and most beautiful forms, just as has been said concerning the journey
of the preceding day. On this occasion however the holy spirits added many other
hymns of the sweetest and most entrancing harmony in honor of the infant God,
which were heard only by the most pure Mary. Besides the ten thousand, who had
formed the procession on the previous day, innumerable others descended from
heaven, who, accompanied by those that bore the shields of the holy name Jesus,
formed the guard of honor of the incarnate Word on the occasion of his
presentation. These however were not in corporeal shapes and only the heavenly
Princess perceived their presence. Having arrived at the temple-gate, the most
blessed Mother was filled with new exalted sentiments of devotion. Joining the
other women, She bowed and knelt to adore the Lord in spirit and in truth in his
holy temple and She presented Herself before the exalted Majesty of God with his
Son upon her arms (John 4, 23). Immediately She was immersed in an intellectual
vision of the most holy Trinity and She heard a voice issuing from the eternal
Father, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I well pleased"
(Matth. 27, 20). Saint Joseph, the most fortunate of men, felt at the
same time a new sweetness of the Holy Ghost, which filled him with joy and
divine light.
The holy high-priest Simeon, moved by the Holy Ghost as
explained in the preceding chapter, also entered temple at that time (Luke 2,
7). Approaching the place where the Queen stood with the infant Jesus in her
arms, he saw both Mother and Child enveloped in splendor and glory. The
prophetess Anne, who, as the Evangelist says, had come at the same hour, also
saw Mary and her Infant surrounded by this wonderful light. In the joy of their
spirit both of them approached the Queen of heaven, and the priest received the
Infant Jesus from her arms upon his hands. Raising up his eyes to heaven he
offered Him up to the eternal Father, pronouncing at the same time these words
so full of mysteries: "Now dost thou dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according
to thy Word in peace. Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast
prepared before the face of all peoples: a light for the revelation of the
gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2, 29). It was as if He
had said: "Now, Lord, thou wilt release me from the bondage of this mortal
body and let me go free and in peace; for until now have I been detained in it
by the hope of seeing thy promises fulfilled and by the desire of seeing thy
Onlybegotten made man. Now that my eyes have seen thy salvation, the
Onlybegotten made man, joined to our nature in order to give it eternal welfare
according to the intention and eternal decree of thy infinite wisdom and mercy,
I shall enjoy true and secure peace. Now, O Lord, Thou hast prepared and placed
before all mortals thy divine light that it may shine upon the world and that
all who wish may enjoy it throughout the universe and derive therefrom guidance
and salvation. For this is the light which is revealed to the gentiles for the
glory of thy chosen people of Israel" (John I, 9, 32).
Most holy Mary and saint Joseph heard this canticle of
Simeon, wondering at the exalted revelation it contained. The Evangelist calls
them in this place the parents of the divine Infant, for such they were in the
estimation of the people who were present at this event. Simeon, addressing
himself to the most holy Mother of the Infant Jesus, then added: "Behold
this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and
for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce,
that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed." Thus saint Simeon; and
being a priest he gave his blessing to the happy parents of the Child. Then also
the prophetess Anne acknowledged the incarnate Word, and full of the Holy Ghost,
she spoke of the mysteries of the Messias to many, who were expecting the
redemption of Israel. By these two holy old people public testimony of the
coming of the Redeemer was given to the world.
At the moment when the priest Simeon mentioned the sword and
the sign of contradiction, which were prophetical of the passion and death of
the Lord, the Child bowed its head. Thereby, and by many interior acts of
obedience, Jesus ratified the prophecy of the priest and accepted it as the
sentence of the eternal Father pronounced by his minister. All this the loving
Mother noticed and understood; She presently began to feel the sorrow predicted
by Simeon and thus in advance was She wounded by the sword, of which She had
thus been warned. As in a mirror her spirit was made to see all the mysteries
included in this prophecy; how her most holy Son was to be the stone of
stumbling, the perdition of the unbelievers, and the salvation of the faithful;
the fall of the synagogue and the establishment the Church among the heathens;
She foresaw the triumph to be gained over the devils and over death, but also
that a great price was to be paid for it, namely the frightful agony and death
of the Cross (Colos. 2, 15). She foresaw the boundless opposition and
contradiction, which the Lord Jesus was to sustain both personally and in his
Church (John 15, 20). At the same time She also saw the glory and excellence of
the predestined souls. Most holy Mary knew it all and in the joy and sorrow of
her most pure soul, excited by the prophecies of Simeon and these hidden
mysteries, She performed heroic acts of virtue. All these sayings and happenings
were indelibly impressed upon her memory, and, of all that She understood and
experienced, She forgot not the least iota. At all times She looked upon her
most holy Son with such a living sorrow, as we, mere human creatures with hearts
so full of ingratitude, shall never be able to feel. The holy spouse saint
Joseph was by these prophecies also made to see many of the mysteries of the
Redemption and of the labors and sufferings of Jesus. But the Lord did not
reveal them to him so copiously and openly as they were perceived and understood
by his heavenly spouse; for in him these revelations were to serve a different
purpose, and besides, saint Joseph was not to be an eyewitness of them during
his mortal life.
The ceremony of the presentation thus being over, the great
Lady kissed the hand of the priest and again asked his blessing. The same She
did also to Anne, her former teacher; for her dignity as Mother of God, the
highest possible to angels or men, did not prevent Her from these acts of
deepest humility. Then, in the company of saint Joseph, her spouse, and of the
fourteen thousand angels in procession, She returned with the divine Infant to
her lodging. They remained, as I shall relate farther on, for some days in
Jerusalem, in order to satisfy their devotion and during that time She spoke a
few times with the priest about the mysteries of the Redemption and of the
prophecies above mentioned.
When the most holy Mary and glorious saint Joseph returned
from the presentation of the Infant Jesus in the temple, they concluded to stay
in Jerusalem for nine days in order to be able each day to visit the temple and
repeat the offering of the sacred Victim, their divine Son, thus rendering
fitting thanks for the immense blessing for which they had been singled out from
among all men. The heavenly Lady had a special veneration for this number in
memory of the nine days, during which She had been prepared and adorned by God
for the incarnation of the Word, as I have related in the first ten chapters of
this second part; also in memory of the nine months, during which She had borne
Jesus in her virginal womb. In honor of these events She wished make this novena
with her divine Child, presenting Him that many times to the eternal Father as
an acceptable offering for her lofty purposes. They began the devotions of the
novena every day before the third hour, praying in the temple until nightfall.
They chose the most obscure and retired place, meriting thereby the invitation
of the master of the banquet in the Gospel: "Friend, go up higher."
As an answer to her petitions He conceded to Her new and
great privileges, among which was also this one, that, as long as the world
should last, She should obtain all that She would ever ask for her clients; that
the greatest sinners, if they availed themselves of her intercession, should
find salvation; that in the new Church and law of the Gospel She should be the
Cooperatrix and Teacher of salvation with Christ her most holy Son. This was to
be her privilege especially after his Ascension into heaven, when She should
remain, as Queen of the universe, as the representative and instrument of the
divine power on earth. This I will show more particularly in the third part of
this history. Many other favors and mysteries the Most High confirmed upon the
heavenly Mother in answer to her prayers. They, however, are beyond the reach of
spoken language, and cannot be described by my short and limited terms.
In the course of these manifestations, on the fifth day of
the novena after the presentation and purification, while the heavenly Lady was
in the temple with the Infant on her arms, the Deity revealed Itself to Her,
although not intuitively, and She was wholly raised and filled by the Spirit. It
is true, that this had been done to Her before; but as God’s power and
treasures are infinite, He never gives so much as not to be able to give still
more to the creatures. In this abstractive vision the Most High visited anew his
only Spouse, wishing to prepare Her for the labors, that were awaiting Her.
Speaking to Her, He comforted Her saying: "My Spouse and my Dove, thy
wishes and intentions are pleasing in my eyes and I delight in them always. But
Thou canst not finish the nine days' devotion, which Thou hast begun, for I have
in store for Thee other exercises of Thy love. In order to save the life of thy
Son and raise Him up, Thou must leave thy home and thy country, fly with Him and
thy spouse Joseph into Egypt, where Thou art to remain until I shall ordain
otherwise: for Herod is seeking the life of the Child. The journey is long, most
laborious and most fatiguing; do thou suffer it all for my sake; for I am, and
always will be, with Thee."
Any other faith and virtue might have been disturbed (as the
incredulous really have been) to see the powerful God flying from a miserable
earthly being, and that He should do so in order to save his life, as if He,
being both God and man, could be affected by the fear of death. But the most
prudent and obedient Mother advanced no objection or doubt: She was not in the
least disturbed or moved by this unlooked for order. Answering, She said:
"My Lord and Master, behold thy servant with a heart prepared to die for
thy love if necessary. Dispose of me according to thy will. This only do I ask
of thy immense goodness, that, overlooking my want of merit and gratitude, Thou
permit not my Son and Lord to suffer, and that Thou turn all pains and labor
upon me, who am obliged to suffer them." The Lord referred Her to saint
Joseph, bidding Her to follow his directions in all things concerning the
journey. Therewith She issued from her vision, which She had enjoyed without
losing the use of her exterior senses and while holding in her arms the Infant
Jesus. She had been raised up in this vision only as to the superior part of her
soul; but from it flowed other gifts, which spiritualized her senses and
testified to Her that her soul was living more in its love than in the earthly
habitation of her body.
On account of the incomparable love, which the Queen bore
toward her most holy Son, her maternal and compassionate heart was somewhat
harrowed at the thought of the labors which She foresaw in the vision impending
upon the infant God. Shedding many tears, She left the temple to go to her
lodging-place, without manifesting to her spouse the cause of her sorrow. Saint
Joseph therefore thought that She grieved on account of the prophecy of Simeon.
As the most faithful Joseph loved Her so much, and as he was of a kind and
solicitous disposition, he was troubled to see his Spouse so tearful and
afflicted, and that She should not manifest to him the cause of this new
affliction. This disturbance of his soul was one of the reasons why the holy
angels spoke to him in sleep, as I have related above, when speaking of
the pregnancy of the Queen. For in the same night, while saint Joseph was
asleep, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and spoke to him as recorded by
saint Matthew: "Arise, take the Child and its Mother and fly into Egypt ;
there shalt thou remain until I shall return to give thee other advice; for
Herod is seeking after the Child in order to take away its life."
Immediately the holy spouse arose full of solicitude and sorrow, foreseeing also
that of his most loving Spouse. Entering upon her retirement, he said: "My
Lady, God wills that we should be afflicted; for his holy angel has announced to
me the pleasure and the decree of the Almighty, that we arise and fly with the
Child into Egypt, because Herod is seeking to take away its life. Encourage
thyself, my Lady, to bear the labors of this journey and tell me what I can do
for thy comfort, since I hold my life and being at the service of thy Child and
of Thee."
"My husband and my master," answered the Queen,
"if we have received from the hands of the Most High such great blessings
of grace, it is meet that we joyfully accept temporal afflictions (Job 2, 13).
We bear with us the Creator of heaven and earth; if He has placed us so near to
Him, what arms shall be able to harm us, even if it be the arm of Herod?
Wherever we carry with us all our Good, the highest treasure of heaven, our
Lord, our guide and true light, there can be no desert; but He is our rest, our
portion, and our country. All these goods we possess in having his company; let
us proceed to fulfill his will." Then most holy Mary and Joseph approached
the crib where the Infant Jesus lay; and where He, not by chance, slept at that
time. The heavenly Mother uncovered Him without awakening Him; then the heavenly
Mother, falling upon her knees, awakened the sweetest Infant, and took Him in
her arms. Jesus, in order to move Her to greater tenderness and in order to show
Himself as true man, wept a little (O wonders of the Most High in things
according to our judgments so small)! Yet He was soon again quieted; and when
the most holy Mother and saint Joseph asked his blessing He gave it them in
visible manner. Gathering their poor clothing into the casket and loading it on
the beast of burden which they had brought from Nazareth, departed shortly after
midnight, and hastened without delay on their journey to Egypt.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, what thou must especially learn from this
chapter is, that thou accustom thyself to humble thanksgiving for the benefits
which thou receivest, since thou, among many generations, art so specially
signalized by the riches of grace with which my Son and I visit thee without any
merit of thine. I was wont to repeat many times this verse of David: "What
shall I render the Lord for all the things that he hath rendered to me?"
(Ps. 15, 12). In such sentiments I humiliated myself to the dust, esteeming
myself altogether useless among creatures. Therefore, if thou knowest what I did
as Mother of God, consider what then is thy obligation, since thou must with so
much truth confess thyself unworthy and undeserving of all thou receivest, and
so poorly furnished for giving thanks and for making payment. Thou must supply
thy insufficiency and thy misery by offering up to the eternal Father the living
host of his onlybegotten Son, especially when thou receivest Him in the holy
Sacrament and possessest Him within thee: for in this thou shouldst also imitate
David, who, after asking the Lord what return he should make for all his
benefits, answers: "I will take the chalice of salvation; and I will call
upon the name of the Lord" (Ps. 115, 13). Thou must accept the salvation
offered thee and bring forth its fruits by the perfection of thy works, calling
upon the name of the Lord, offering up his Onlybegotten. For He it is who gave
the virtue of salvation, who merited it, who alone can be an adequate return for
the blessings conferred upon the human race and upon thee especially. I have
given Him human form in order that He might converse with men and become the
property of each one. He conceals Himself under the appearances of bread and
wine in order to accommodate himself to the needs of each one, and that each one
might consider Him as his personal property fit to offer to the eternal Father.
In this way He furnishes to each one an oblation which no one could otherwise
offer, and the Most High rests satisfied with it, since there is not anything
more acceptable nor anything more precious in the possession of creatures.
In addition to this offering is the resignation with which
souls embrace and bear with equanimity and patience the labors and difficulties
of mortal life. My most holy Son and I were eminent Masters in the practice of
this doctrine. My Son began to teach it from the moment in which He was
conceived in my womb. For already then He began to suffer, and as soon as He was
born into the world He and I were banished by Herod into a desert, and his
sufferings continued until He died on the Cross. I also labored to the end of my
life, as thou wilt be informed more and more in the writing of this history.
Since, therefore, We suffered so much for creatures and for their salvation, I
desire thee to imitate Us in this conformity to the divine will as being his
spouse and my daughter. Suffer with a magnanimous heart, and labor to increase
the possessions of thy Lord and Master, namely, souls, which are so precious in
his sight and which He has purchased with his life-blood. Never shouldst thou
fly from labors, difficulties, bitterness and sorrows, if by any of them thou
canst gain a soul for the Lord, or if thou canst thereby induce it to leave the
path of sin and enter the path of life. Let not the thought that thou art so
useless and or that thy desires and labor avail but little, discourage thee;
since thou canst not know how the Lord will accept of them and in how far He
shall consider Himself served thereby. At least thou shouldst wish to labor
assiduously and eat no unearned bread in his house (Prov. 31, 27).
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Today's Snippet II: Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury.
Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt 1070-77. The
east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the twelfth century,
and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174 , with
significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims
visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in
the cathedral in 1170. The Norman nave and transepts survived until the
late fourteenth century, when they were demolished to make way for the
present structures.
HistoryFoundation by Augustine
The cathedral's first archbishop was Augustine of Canterbury, previously abbot of St. Andrew's Benedictine Abbey in Rome. He was sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 596 as a missionary to the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine founded the cathedral in 597 and dedicated it to Jesus Christ, the Holy Saviour.
Augustine also founded the Abbey of St. Peter and Paul outside the city walls.
This was later rededicated to St. Augustine himself and was for many
centuries the burial place of the successive archbishops. The abbey is
part of the World Heritage Site of Canterbury, along with the cathedral and the ancient Church of St. Martin.
Anglo-Saxon cathedral
Bede
recorded that Augustine reused a former Roman church. The oldest remains
found during excavations beneath the present nave in 1993 were,
however, parts of the foundations of an Anglo-Saxon building, which had
been constructed across a Roman road. They indicate that the original church consisted of a nave, possibly with a narthex, and side-chapels to the north and south. A smaller subsidiary building was found to the south-west of these foundations.
During the ninth or tenth century this church was replaced by a larger
structure (49 m. by 23 m.) with a squared west end. It appears to have
had a square central tower. The eleventh century chronicler Eadmer,
who had known the Saxon cathedral as a boy, wrote that, in its
arrangement, it resembled St Peter's in Rome, indicating that it was of basilican form, with an eastern apse.
During the reforms of Archbishop Dunstan
(c909-988), a Benedictine abbey named Christ Church Priory was added to
the cathedral. But the formal establishment as a monastery seems to
date only to c.997 and the community only became fully monastic from Lanfranc's
time onwards (with monastic constitutions addressed by him to prior
Henry). Dunstan was buried on the south side of the High Altar.
The cathedral was badly damaged during Danish raids on Canterbury in 1011. The Archbishop, Alphege,
was taken hostage by the raiders and eventually killed at Greenwich on
19 April 1012, the first of Canterbury's five martyred archbishops.
After this a western apse was added as an oratory of St. Mary, probably during the archbishopric of Lyfing (1013–1020) or Aethelnoth (1020–1038).
The 1993 excavations revealed that the new western apse was polygonal, and flanked by hexagonal towers, forming a westwork.
It housed the archbishop's throne, with the altar of St Mary just to
the east. At about the same time that the westwork was built, the arcade
walls were strengthened and towers added to the eastern corners of the
church.
Norman period
The cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1067, a year after the Norman
Conquest. Rebuilding began in 1070 under the first Norman archbishop, Lanfranc (1070–77). He cleared the ruins and reconstructed the cathedral to a design based closely on that of the Abbey of St. Etienne in Caen, where he had previously been abbot, using stone brought from France. The new church, its central axis about 5m south of that of its predecessor,
was a cruciform building, with an aisled nave of nine bays, a pair of
towers at the west end, aiseless transepts with apsidal chapels, a low
crossing tower, and a short choir ending in three apses. It was
dedicated in 1077.
After this time, the responsibility for the rebuilding or improvement
of the cathedral's fabric was largely left in the hands of the priors. Following the election of Prior Ernulf
in 1096, Lanfranc's inadequate east end was demolished, and replaced
with an eastern arm 198 feet long, doubling the length of the cathedral.
It was raised above a large and elaborately decorated crypt. Ernulf was succeeded in 1107 by Conrad, who completed the work by 1126.
The new choir took the form of a complete church in itself, with its
own transepts; the east end was semicircular in plan, with three chapels
opening off an ambulatory. A free standing campanile was built on a mound in the cathedral precinct in about 1160.
As with many Romanesque church buildings, the interior of the choir was richly embellished. William of Malmesbury
wrote: "Nothing like it could be seen in England either for the light
of its glass windows, the gleaming of its marble pavements, or the
many-coloured paintings which led the eyes to the panelled ceiling
above."
Though named after the sixth century founding archbishop, The Chair of St. Augustine may date from the Norman period. Its first recorded use is in 1205.
Martyrdom of Thomas Becket
A pivotal moment in the history of the Cathedral was the murder of the archbishop, Thomas Becket, in the north-west transept (also known as the Martyrdom) on Tuesday 29 December 1170 by knights of King Henry II.
The king had frequent conflicts with the strong-willed Becket and is
said to have exclaimed in frustration, "Who will rid me of this
turbulent priest?" The knights took it literally and murdered Becket in
his own cathedral. Becket was the second of four Archbishops of
Canterbury who were murdered (see also Alphege).
The posthumous veneration of Becket made the cathedral a place of
pilgrimage. This brought both the need to expand the cathedral, and the
wealth that made it possible.
Rebuilding of the choir
In September 1174 the choir was severely damaged by fire, necessitating a major reconstruction, the progress of which was recorded in detail by a monk named Gervase. The crypt survived the fire intact,
and it was found possible to retain the outer walls of the choir, which
were increased in height by 12 feet (3.7 m) in the course of the
rebuilding, but with the round-headed form of their windows left
unchanged.[15]
Everything else was replaced in the new Gothic style, with pointed
arches, rib vaulting and flying buttresses. The limestone used was
imported from Caen in Normandy, and Purbeck marble
was used for the shafting. The choir was back in use by 1180, and in
that year the remains of St Dunstan and St Alphege were moved there from
the crypt.
The master-mason appointed to rebuild the choir was a Frenchman, William of Sens. Following his injury in a fall from the scaffolding in 1179 he was replaced by one of his former assistants, known as "William the Englishman.
In 1180-4, in place of the old, square-ended, eastern chapel, the
present Trinity chapel was constructed, a broad extension with an
ambulatory, designed to house the shrine of St Thomas Becket. A further chapel, circular in plan, was added beyond that, which housed further relics of Becket,
widely believed to have included the top of his skull, struck off in
the course of his assassination. This latter chapel became known as the
"Corona" or "Beckett's Crown".
These new parts east of the choir transepts were raised on a higher
crypt than Ernulf's choir, necessitating flights of steps between the
two levels. Work on the chapel was completed in 1184, but Becket's remains were not moved from his tomb in the crypt until 1220. Further significant interments in the Trinity Chapel included those of Edward Plantagenet (The "Black Prince") and King Henry IV.
Shrine of Thomas Becket
The shrine in the Trinity Chapel was placed directly above Becket's
original tomb in the crypt. A marble plinth, raised on columns,
supported what an early visitor, Walter of Coventry, described as "a
coffin wonderfully wrought of gold and silver, and marvellously adorned
with precious gems".
Other accounts make clear that the gold was laid over a wooden chest,
which in turn contained an iron-bound box holding Becket's remains. Further votive treasures
were added to the adornments of the chest over the years, while others
were placed on pedestals or beams nearby, or attached to hanging
drapery. For much of the time the chest (or "ferotory") was kept concealed by a wooden cover, which would be theatrically raised by ropes once a crowd of pilgrims had gathered.
Erasmus, who visited in 1512–4, recorded that, once the cover was
raised, "the Prior ... pointed out each jewel, telling its name in
French, its value, and the name of its donor; for the principal of them
were offerings sent by sovereign princes."
The income from pilgrims (such as those portrayed in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales)
who visited Becket's shrine, which was regarded as a place of healing,
largely paid for the subsequent rebuilding of the Cathedral and its
associated buildings. This revenue included the profits from the sale of
pilgrim badges depicting Becket, his martyrdom, or his shrine.
The shrine was removed in 1538. Henry VIII summoned the dead saint to
court to face charges of treason. Having failed to appear, he was found
guilty in his absence and the treasures of his shrine were confiscated,
carried away in two coffers and twenty-six carts.
Monastic buildings
A bird's-eye view of the cathedral and its monastic buildings, made in about 1165 and known as the "waterworks plan" is preserved in the Eadwine Psalter in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. It shows that Canterbury employed the same general principles of arrangement common to all Benedictine monasteries, although, unusually, the cloister and monastic buildings were to the north, rather than the south of the church. There was a separate chapter-house.
The buildings formed separate groups around the church. Adjoining it,
on the north side, stood the cloister and the buildings devoted to the
monastic life. To the east and west of these were those devoted to the
exercise of hospitality. To the north a large open court divided the
monastic buildings from menial ones, such as the stables, granaries,
barn, bakehouse, brew house and laundries, inhabited by the lay servants
of the establishment. At the greatest possible distance from the
church, beyond the precinct of the monastery, was the eleemosynary
department. The almonry for the relief of the poor, with a great hall
annexed, formed the paupers' hospitium.
The group of buildings devoted to monastic life included two
cloisters. The great cloister was surrounded by the buildings
essentially connected with the daily life of the monks,-- the church to
the south, with the refectory placed as always on the side opposite, the
dormitory, raised on a vaulted undercroft,
and the chapter-house adjacent, and the lodgings of the cellarer,
responsible for providing both monks and guests with food, to the west. A
passage under the dormitory lead eastwards to the smaller or infirmary
cloister, appropriated to sick and infirm monks.
The hall and chapel of the infirmary extended east of this cloister,
resembling in form and arrangement the nave and chancel of an aisled
church. Beneath the dormitory, overlooking the green court or herbarium,
lay the "pisalis" or "calefactory," the common room of the monks. At its north-east corner access was given from the dormitory to the necessarium,
a building in the form of a Norman hall, 145 ft (44 m) long by 25 broad
(44.2 m × 7.6 m), containing fifty-five seats. It was constructed with
careful regard to hygiene, with a stream of water running through it
from end to end.
A second smaller dormitory for the conventual officers ran from east
to west. Close to the refectory, but outside the cloisters, were the
domestic offices connected with it: to the north, the kitchen, 47 ft (14
m) square (200 m2), with a pyramidal roof, and the kitchen court; to
the west, the butteries, pantries, etc. The infirmary had a small
kitchen of its own. Opposite the refectory door in the cloister were two
lavatories, where the monks washed before and after eating.
The buildings devoted to hospitality were divided into three groups.
The prior's group were "entered at the south-east angle of the green
court, placed near the most sacred part of the cathedral, as befitting
the distinguished ecclesiastics or nobility who were assigned to him."
The cellarer's buildings, where middle class visitors were entertained,
stood near the west end of the nave. The inferior pilgrims and paupers
were relegated to the north hall or almonry, just within the gate.
Priors of Christ Church Priory included John of Sittingbourne
(elected 1222, previously a monk of the priory) and William Chillenden,
(elected 1264, previously monk and treasurer of the priory). The monastery was granted the right to elect their own prior if the seat was vacant by the pope, and — from Gregory IX onwards — the right to a free election (though with the archbishop overseeing their choice). Monks of the priory have included Æthelric I, Æthelric II, Walter d'Eynsham, Reginald fitz Jocelin (admitted as a confrater shortly before his death), Nigel de Longchamps
and Ernulf. The monks often put forward candidates for Archbishop of
Canterbury, either from among their number or outside, since the
archbishop was nominally their abbot, but this could lead to clashes
with the king and/or pope should they put forward a different man —
examples are the elections of Baldwin of Forde and Thomas Cobham.
Fourteenth to sixteenth centuries
Early in the fourteenth century, Prior Eastry erected a stone choir
screen, and his successor, Prior Oxenden inserted a large five-light
window into St Anselm's chapel.
The cathedral was seriously damaged by an earthquake of 1382, losing its bells and campanile.
From the late fourteenth century the nave and transepts were rebuilt, on the Norman foundations in the Perpendicular style. In contrast to the contemporary rebuilding of the nave at Winchester,
where much of the existing fabric was retained and remodelled, the
piers were entirely removed, and replaced with less bulky Gothic ones,
and the old aisle walls completely taken down except for a low "plinth"
left on the south side. More Norman fabric was retained in the transepts, especially in the east walls, and the old apsidal chapels were not replaced until the mid-15th century. The arches of the new nave arcade were exceptionally high in proportion to the clerestory. The new transepts, aisles and nave were roofed with lierne vaults, enriched with bosses. Most of the work was done during the priorate of Thomas Chillenden
(1391–1411): Chillenden also built a new choir screen at the east end
of the nave, into which Eastry's existing screen was incorporated. The Norman stone floor of the nave, however survived until its replacement in 1786.
A shortage of money, and the priority given to the rebuilding of the
cloisters and chapter-house meant that the rebuilding of the west towers
was neglected. The south-west tower was not replaced until 1458, and
the Norman north-west tower survived until 1834, when it was replaced by
a replica of its Perpendicular companion.
In about 1430 the south transept apse was removed to make way for a
chapel, founded by Lady Margaret Holland and dedicated to St Michael and
All Angels. The north transept apse was replaced by a Lady Chapel,
built in 1448-55.
The 235 foot crossing tower was begun in 1433, although preparations
had already been made during Chillenden's priorate, when the piers had
been reinforced. Further strengthening was found necessary around the
beginning of the sixteenth century, when buttressing arches were added
under the southern and western tower arches. The tower is often known as
the "Angel Steeple", after a gilded angel that once stood on one of its
pinnacles.
Dissolution of the monastery
The cathedral ceased to be an abbey during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
when all religious houses were suppressed. Canterbury surrendered in
March 1539, and reverted to its previous status of 'a college of secular
canons'. The New Foundation came into being on 8 April 1541.
Eighteenth century to the present
The original Norman northwest tower, which had a lead spire until 1705, was demolished in 1834, due to structural concerns.
It was replaced with a Perpendicular-style twin of the southwest tower,
now known as the "Arundel Tower"'. This was the last major structural
alteration to the cathedral to be made.
The cathedral is the Regimental Church of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.
Furnishings
In 1688, the joiner Roger Davis, citizen of London, removed the 13th century misericords
and replaced them with two rows of his own work on each side of the
choir. Some of Davis's misericords have a distinctly medieval flavour
and he may have copied some of the original designs. When Sir George Gilbert Scott
carried out renovations in the 19th century, he replaced the front row
of Davis' misericords, with new ones of his own design, which seem to
include many copies of those at Gloucester Cathedral, Worcester Cathedral and New College, Oxford.
Foundation
The Foundation is the authorised staffing establishment of the
cathedral, few of whom are clergy. The head of the cathedral is the dean, currently the Very Reverend Robert Willis, who is assisted by a chapter of 24 canons, four of whom are residentiary, the others being honorary appointments of senior clergy in the diocese.
There are also a number of lay canons who altogether form the greater
chapter which has the legal responsibility both for the cathedral itself
and also for the formal election of an archbishop when there is a
vacancy-in-see. By English law and custom they may only elect the person
who has been nominated by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. The Foundation also includes the choristers, lay clerks, organists, King's Scholars, the Six Preachers
and a range of other officers; some of these posts are moribund, such
as that of the cathedral barber. The cathedral has a full-time work
force of 300, and approximately 800 volunteers.
Bells
The cathedral has a total of twenty one bells in the three towers:
The South West Tower (Oxford Tower) contains the cathedral’s main ring of bells, hung for change ringing
in the English style. There are fourteen bells – a ring of twelve with
two semi-tones, which allow for ringing on ten, eight or six bells while
still remaining in tune. All of the bells were cast in 1981 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
from seven bells of the old peal of twelve with new metal added, and
re-hung in a new frame. The length (draught) of the ropes was increased
by lowering the floor of the ringing chamber to the level of the south
aisle vault at the same time. The heaviest bell of this ring weighs
34cwt (1.72 tonnes). The ringers practice on Thursday at 7.30pm.
The North West Tower (Arundel Tower) contains the cathedral’s clock
chime. The five quarter chimes were taken from the old peal of twelve in
the Oxford Tower (where the clock was originally), and hung from beams
in the Arundel Tower. The chimes are stuck on the eighth Gregorian tone,
which is also used at Merton College, Oxford. The hour is struck on Great Dunstan, the largest bell in Kent 63cwt (3.2 tonnes), which is also swung on Sunday mornings for Matins.
In 1316 Prior Henry of Eastry gave a large bell dedicated to St
Thomas, which weighed 71½ cwt (3.63 tonnes). Later, in 1343, Prior
Hathbrand gave bells dedicated to Jesus and St Dunstan. At this time the
bells in campanile were rehung and their names recorded as “Jesus”,
“Dunstan”, “Mary”, “Crundale”, “Elphy” (Alphege) and “Thomas”. In the
great earthquake of 1382 the campanile fell, destroying the first three
named bells. Following its reconstruction, the other three bells were
rehung, together with two others, of whose casting no record remains.
The oldest bell in the cathedral is Bell Harry, which hangs in a cage
atop the central tower to which the bell lends its name. This bell was
cast in 1635, and is struck at 8am and 9pm every day to announce the
opening and closing of the cathedral, and also occasionally for services
as a Sanctus bell.
Library
The cathedral library has a collection of about 30,000 books and
pamphlets printed before the 20th century and about 20,000 later books
and serials. Many of the earlier books were acquired as part of donated
collections. It is rich in church history, older theology, British
history (including local history), travel, science and medicine, and the
anti-slavery movement. The library's holdings are included in the online catalogue of the library of the University of Kent.
Appeal
In 2006, a new fundraising appeal to raise £50 million was launched
to much media attention under the dramatic banner "Save Canterbury
Cathedral".
The Canterbury Cathedral Appeal
was launched to protect and enhance Canterbury Cathedral's future as a
religious, heritage and cultural centre. Every five years the cathedral
carries out a major structural review. The last so-called Quinquennial
made it very clear that a combination of centuries of weathering,
pollution and constant use had taken its toll on the building and there
were some serious problems at Canterbury Cathedral that needed urgent
action.
Much of the cathedral's stonework is damaged and crumbling, the roofs
are leaking and much of the stained glass is badly corroded. It is
thought that if action is not taken now, the rate of decay and damage
being inflicted on the building will increase dramatically with
potentially disastrous results, including closure of large sections of
the cathedral in order to guarantee the safety of the million plus
worshippers, pilgrims and tourists who visit the cathedral every year.
As well as restoring much of the historic fabric of the cathedral,
the appeal aims to fund enhancements to visitor facilities and
investment to build on the cathedral's musical tradition. By November
2008, the appeal had raised more than £9 million. Previous major appeals
were run in the 1950s and 1970s.
In the summer of 2009, stones in the South West Transept were
discovered to have cracked around several iron braces surrounding the
Great South Window. The cracks are presumed to be the result of the
metal expanding and contracting in hot and cold weather, and have
severely compromised the structure of the window. The transept was
closed while scaffolding was erected, and the area immediately in front
of the inside of the window was closed off and covered, to maintain
access via the south door beneath it. This area was given restoration
priority immediately after the structural damage was discovered.
References
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