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In a 50 seater coach, appropriately titled 'Wayfarers Travel', a full complement of parishioners of St George the Martyr, Waterlooville, went on pilgrimage to Canterbury. After a blessing by Father Malcolm, the day being bright and sunny and dispositions of the group likewise, the whole day event was packed with interest, curiosity and spirituality. Pilgrims have been coming to this city and cathedral for centuries. The place is celebrated for many events in the Christian chronology, the most famous perhaps being the murder and martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas à Becket on 29th December 1170. Most people can recall the alleged words of the King - Henry II, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Four of his knights, Richard Brito, Hugh de Moreville, Reginald Fitz Urse and William de Tracy took him at his word and the Archbishop was slain in the cathedral itself.
A wonderful shrine to which pilgrims went in their thousands, stood near the dreaded spot between 1270 and 1538 when it was destroyed on the orders of another monarch - Henry VIII. The locus gave rise to those famous words of Chaucer, "to Caunterbury they wende, the holy blisful martir for to seke, that hem hath holpen, when that they were seke". It should be noted that 'holy blisful martir' is best translated as holy blessed martyr, and that 'seke' means sick or ill. Thus the visit to the shrine and appropriate prayers and supplications thereon were believed to have powers of healing and remedy. At the site of the shrine now burns a solitary candle. Our present day pilgrims had plenty to see in and around the city. Among the places of absorbing interest were: the Roman Museum. Canterbury was a place called Durovernum Cantiacorum in Roman times. Some rooms, mosaics and domestic artifacts have been discovered and the museum shows a reconstruction of how the town might have looked. the Canterbury Tales Visitor Attraction where some of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales were shown in tableau, with lights and oral commentaries. I was particularly taken with the abridged tale of the Wyfe from biside Bath (five times married!), who was seated on a mangy horse while recounting her bawdy and witty moral tale. the walls of the fortified town and Norman Castle remains. I climbed the motte and viewed those far below and imagined what it might have been like to see the disadvantaged poor, and those who might want to besiege the place, outside the walls of this impregnable fortress. the Eastbridge Hospital - a healing place for medieval pilgrims, with undercroft, refectory and two chapels. - and there were so many others, such as the place where the celebrated dramatist, Christopher Marlowe, was christened; the quiet waters by - the 23rd Psalm being invoked by a stranger by the placid river; St Martin's Church, written about by the Venerable Bede (c700AD) who referred to Queen Bertha, the Christian Queen (before the time of St Augustine) worshipping in a chapel dedicated to St Martin and where King Ethelbert was baptised; the great Augustinian Abbey where the ruins are remarkably similar to those at Glastonbury and where English Heritage was laying on a special event - medieval archery, cooking, weaving and spinning. In the afternoon, the group went into the great Cathedral - the mother church of the Anglican Communion and the Provincial Church for the Primate of All England, Dr George Carey. The full name of this place is "The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ, Canterbury". Father Malcolm acted as our guide. We learned much of specific places inside, and at each were led in prayer: - at the nave entrance, the magnificent and awe-inspiring stained glass windows. - the elaborately decorated font, still used by this church's resident community. - the pulpit, where recently the Archbishop was disquieted by rowdies making a political point. - the nave altar, where the Pope and the Archbishop signed a concordat. - the steps where the blessed St Thomas was murdered. At that place Pope John-Paul II and the Archbishop George Carey prayed together on 29th May 1982. I was there reminded of the message of that most powerful sermon said to have been preached by Archbishop Thomas à Becket on Christmas Day 1170 - as recorded exquisitely by T S Eliot in his play Murder in the Cathedral - the reader is invited to check the reference!
- The crypt, containing the Treasury and formerly housing the shrine of Our Lady. At the present time a beautifully carved effigy of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom we intoned her prayer, was on the site of the shrine. This chapel is now called 'Our Lady Undercroft'. - the church of the French Huguenots, who fled for sanctuary to this country and who were permitted to set up their holy place in the crypt of the cathedral. We attended a sublime evensong in the Quire part. The setting was that of Stanford (in A), and the Anthem "Praise to the God of Love", music by Benjamin Britten, words by George Herbert, was sung by the masterly choir. It was generally agreed that this was one of the great highlights of the day and we were privileged to be given the opportunity to worship there. Saturday 23rd September 2000 - altogether a perfect day - brilliantly planned, organised and put into effect! Rod Dawson |
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page last updated 1 NOVEMBER 2000 |
