World Heritage Identification Number: 496
World Heritage since: 1988
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Religious Sites & Sacred Architecture
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Historic Ensemble of Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church
The Historic Ensemble of Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church, located in the city of Canterbury, Kent, England, is a significant cultural and religious site that holds immense historical importance. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, this ensemble represents the rich history of Christianity in England, dating back to the 6th century.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Canterbury, in Kent, has been the seat of the spiritual head of the Church of England for nearly five centuries. Canterbury's other important monuments are the modest Church of St Martin, the oldest church in England; the ruins of the Abbey of St Augustine, a reminder of the saint's evangelizing role in the Heptarchy from 597; and Christ Church Cathedral, a breathtaking mixture of Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic, where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (i): Christ Church Cathedral, especially the east sections, is a unique artistic creation. The beauty of its architecture is enhanced by a set of exceptional early stained glass windows which constitute the richest collection in the United Kingdom.
Criterion (ii): The influence of the Benedictine abbey of St Augustine was decisive throughout the Middle Ages in England. The influence of this monastic centre, and its scriptorium, extended far beyond the boundaries of Kent and Northumbria.
Criterion (vi): St Martin’s Church, St Augustine’s Abbey and the Cathedral are directly and tangibly associated with the history of the introduction of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Encyclopedia Record: Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ, Canterbury.Additional Site Details
Area: 18.17 hectares
Number of Components: 3
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions
Coordinates: 51.28 , 1.083333333
Image
© Hans Musil, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
