Hotels near the Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral is a hallowed place of pilgrimage with church buildings that date back to 597AD, and one of England's most glorious sights. A long line of distinguished archbishops has kept the church on its spiritual feet for nearly 1500 years.

A site of worship has stood on the present site of the cathedral since Roman times, but it did not become a Christian church until 597AD.

The most famous Archbishop of Canterbury was Thomas Becket, who was hacked to death in his own church by over ambitious knights after King Henry II famously declared, "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" in 1170.

Despite Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, a sacking during the Civil War in the 17th century and bombing raids over Kent in the Second World War, the church has continued to prosper. Having undergone extensive renovation in the 20th century, it is impressive for the sheer scale and splendour of its medieval architecture, and it also boasts one of the world's most precious collections of late 12th-century stained glass.