Part 5

The =Chapel of the Holy Trinity= (or that of =St. Thomas=) occupies the central portion of the Retro-Choir between the piers formed by double columns. In the old Chapel of the Trinity (destroyed by fire at the same time as Conrad’s Choir) Becket celebrated his first Mass as Archbishop. His body lay in the Crypt immediately below this spot.

“In earlier times the easternmost chapel had contained an altar of the Holy Trinity, where Becket had been accustomed to say mass. Partly for the sake of preserving the two old Norman towers of St. Anselm and St. Andrew, which stood on the north and south side of this part of the church--but chiefly for the sake of fitly uniting to the church this eastern chapel on an enlarged scale, the pillars of the choir were contracted with that singular curve which attracts the eye of every spectator, as Gervase foretold that it would, when, in order to explain this peculiarity, he stated the two aforesaid reasons. The eastern end of the Cathedral, thus enlarged, formed, as at Ely, a more spacious receptacle for the honoured remains; the new Trinity Chapel, reaching considerably beyond the extreme limit of its predecessor, and opening beyond into a yet further chapel, popularly called Becket’s Crown. The windows were duly filled with the richest painted glass of the period, and amongst those on the northern side may still be traced elaborate representations of the miracles wrought at the subterranean tomb, or by visions and intercessions of the mighty Saint. High in the tower of St. Anselm, on the south side of the destined site of so great a treasure, was prepared--a usual accompaniment of costly shrines--the Watching Chamber. It is a rude apartment with a fireplace where the watcher could warm himself during the long winter nights, and a narrow gallery between the pillars, whence he could overlook the whole platform of the shrine, and at once detect any sacrilegious robber who was attracted by the immense treasures there collected. On the occasion of fires the Shrine was additionally guarded by a troop of fierce ban-dogs.

“When the Cathedral was thus duly prepared, the time came for what, in the language of those days, was termed the ‘Translation’ of the relics.”--(A. P. S.)

Becket’s body was removed here on July 7, 1220 (See page 4), and remained the only occupant of this chapel for more than a hundred years.

It only proves in what deep affection the English nation held the Black Prince to have placed his remains by the side of Becket. His body lay in state in Westminster from June 8, 1376, to September 29; and on the Feast of Michaelmas it was taken to Canterbury, which he had selected for his resting-place. The procession from London to Canterbury was magnificent; and the idol of the nation was laid not in the Crypt, as he had expected, but in Trinity Chapel.

“In this sacred spot--believed at that time to be the most sacred spot in England--the tomb stood in which ‘alone in his glory,’ the Prince was to be deposited, to be seen and admired by all the countless pilgrims who crawled up the stone steps beneath it on their way to the shrine of the saint.

“Let us turn to that tomb, and see how it sums up his whole life. Its bright colours have long since faded, but enough still remains to show us what it was as it stood after the sacred remains of him had been placed within it. There he lies; no other memorial of him exists in the world so authentic. There he lies, as he had directed, in full armour, his head resting on his helmet, his feet with the likeness of ‘the spurs he won’ at Cressy, his hands joined as in that last prayer which he had offered up on his deathbed. There you can see his fine face with the Plantagenet features, the flat cheeks and the well-chiselled nose, to be traced perhaps in the effigy of his father in Westminster Abbey, and his grandfather in Gloucester Cathedral. On his armour you can still see the marks of the bright gilding with which the figure was covered from head to foot, so as to make it look like an image of pure gold. High above are suspended the brazen gauntlets, the helmet, with what was once its gilded leopard-crest, and the wooden shield, the velvet coat also, embroidered with the arms of France and England, now tattered and colourless, but then blazing with blue and scarlet. There, too, still hangs the empty scabbard of the sword, wielded perhaps at his three great battles, and which Oliver Cromwell, it is said, carried away. On the canopy, over the tomb, there is the faded representation--painted after the strange fashion of those times--of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, according to the peculiar devotion which he had entertained. In the pillars you can see the hooks to which was fastened the black tapestry, with its crimson border and curious embroidery, which he directed in his will should be hung round his tomb and the shrine of Becket. Round about the tomb, too, you will see the ostrich feathers, which, according to the old, but doubtful tradition, we are told he won at Cressy from the blind King of Bohemia, who perished in the thick of the fight; and interwoven with them the famous motto, with which he used to sign his name, ‘Houmout,’ ‘Ich diene.’ If, as seems most likely, they are German words, they exactly express what we have seen so often in his life, the union of _Hoch muth_ that is _high spirit_, with _Ich dien_, _I serve_. They bring before us the very scene itself after the battle of Poitiers, where, after having vanquished the whole French nation, he stood behind the captive king, and served him like an attendant.

“And, lastly, carved about the tomb, is the long inscription, selected by himself before his death, in Norman French, and still the language of the court, written, as he begged, clearly and plainly, that all might read it. Its purport is to contrast his former splendour and vigour and beauty with the wasted body which is now all that is left.”--(A. P. S.)

The Black Prince’s effigy of brass was once entirely gilt. Round the tomb are escutcheons of arms, and on the canopy there is a representation of the Holy Trinity with emblems of the Evangelists at the corners.

At the foot of the Black Prince’s Tomb is the monument of =Archbishop Courtenay= (1381-1396), the great opponent of the Wycliffites; and directly opposite is the =Tomb of Henry IV.= and his Queen, =Joan of Navarre=, whose effigies lie under a most elaborate and beautiful canopy.

“In spite of some damage they remain the most interesting representations, not only of the costume of the time, but also, we cannot doubt, of the actual features of the persons. When the tomb was opened some time ago the features of the king were seen for a moment and corresponded closely with the representation on the tomb. The figures at the foot of the Queen, known in heraldry as genets, and to the ordinary person perhaps as weasels, appear also in the canopy combined with eagles and the motto ‘Soverayne and Atemperance.’ The defaced painting on wood at the foot of the tomb represented the Martyrdom of St. Thomas.”--(F. and R.)

Adjoining this tomb is the =Chapel of Henry IV.’s Chantry=, built, as directed in the will of King Henry, who died in 1413, “a chauntrie perpetual with twey prestis for to sing and pray for my soul.” It contains the first example in Canterbury of the “fan-vaulting,” so splendidly represented in the =Dean’s Chapel=.

The windows here and in the Corona should be studied.

“They are of the Thirteenth Century, and among the finest of this date in Europe, excelling in many respects those of Bourges, Troyes and Chartres; ‘for excellence of drawing, harmony of colouring and purity of design they are justly considered unequalled. The skill with which the minute figures are represented, cannot even at this day be surpassed’ (Stanley). Remark especially the great value given to the brilliant colours by the profusion of white and neutral tints. The scrolls and borders surrounding the medallions are also of beauty.

“The three windows remaining in the aisles surrounding the Trinity Chapel are entirely devoted, as were all the rest, to the miracles of Becket, which commenced immediately on the death of the great martyr. The miracles represented in the medallions are of various characters. The Lucerna Angliæ, a true St. Thomas of Kandelberg, as the Germans called him, restores sight to the blind. Loss of smell is recovered at the shrine of this _Arbor Aromatica_. Frequently he assists sailors, the rude crews of the Cinque Ports in his own immediate neighbourhood. At the Norway fishing his figure came gliding over the seas in the dusk, and descended, burning like fire, to the imperilled ships of the Crusaders. In the window toward the east, on the north of the Shrine, is represented a remarkable series of miracles, occurring in the household of a knight named Jordan, son of Eisulf, whose son is restored to life by the water from St. Thomas’s well, which, mixed with his blood, was always carried off by the pilgrims. The father vows an offering to the martyr before Mid-Lent. This is neglected; the whole household again suffer, and the son dies once more. The knight and his wife, both sick, drag themselves to Canterbury, perform their vow and the son is finally restored. On a medallion in one of the windows on the north side is a representation of Becket’s Shrine, with the martyr issuing from it in full pontificals to say Mass at the altar.”--(R. J. K.)

At the extreme east end, just behind Trinity Chapel, is the circular apse called =Becket’s Crown=, or the =Corona=. On the north side lies Cardinal Pole, Bloody Mary’s cousin, who died the day after she did.

“The great lightness and beauty of the Corona, the extreme east end of the Cathedral, are remarkable. It is English William’s work. When Archbishop Anselm was at Rome in the early part of his episcopate and attending a council in the Lateran, a question arose as to his proper place, since no Archbishop of Canterbury had as yet been present at a Roman council. Pope Pascal II. decided it by assigning to the ‘_alterius orbis papa_,’ a seat in the ‘corona,’ the most honourable position. It is possible that this fact may have led the architects, on the rebuilding of the choir, to make the addition of an eastern apse, or corona, which did not exist in the earlier church. In it were the shrines of Archbishop Odo and Wilfrid of York, and a golden reliquary in the form of a head, containing some relic of Becket, perhaps the severed scalp. By a confusion of its proper name with this relic the eastern apse came to be generally known as Becket’s Crown. On the north side is the tomb of Cardinal Pole, Queen Mary’s Archbishop (1556-1558) and the last Archbishop buried at Canterbury. His royal blood gave him a title to so distinguished a place of sepulture.”--(R. J. K.)

From here one gains the best view of the Cathedral as a whole. Canterbury is one of the longest of cathedrals (514 feet).

The central window (Thirteenth Century) in =Becket’s Crown= is very ornate.

“It is very complete and an admirable example of the intricate symbolism of the time. The subjects are arranged in three quatrefoils and two lozenges: the Crucifixion occupying a square panel at the foot, surrounded by representations of the spies carrying the great bunch of grapes; of Moses striking the rock; of the sacrifice of a lamb in the Temple, and of Abraham offering up Isaac on Mount Moriah. Next above is a lozenge-shaped panel, painted with the Entombment, adjoining which we have Joseph’s brethren putting him in the pit; Samson shorn in his sleep by Delilah; Daniel in a walled city, labelled Babilonia, and Jonah let down into the jaws of the whale by two men in a ship. Above these scenes is a quatrefoil, in the centre of which we see the Resurrection, surrounded by representations of Moses and the burning bush; Noah in the Ark; Rahab letting the spies down by the wall, and Jonah landing near Nineveh from the mouth of a great whale. Then another lozenge represents the Ascension and the scenes surrounding it are the Ark of the Mercy-Seat; Elijah ascending in a chariot of fire; the burial of Moses, and Hezekiah sick, while an angel gives him the sign of the shadow on the dial of Ahaz. The last of the series is at the top. In a square panel we see the great event of the Day of Pentecost. Above it Christ sits enthroned in glory. Moses receiving the Two Tables of the Law is below. On one side is the first ordination of deacons, and on the other the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. The whole style of this window is later than that of the Becket series.”--(W. J. L.)

Passing west, down the steps worn by the pious pilgrims we reach =St. Anselm’s Tower= and =Chapel=. Anselm’s Tower (like St. Andrew’s opposite) is Prior Ernulf’s work. The elaborate south window (1336) is Decorated of five lights.

St. Anselm’s Tower is entered through splendid gates of ancient wrought iron.

At the east end behind the Altar of SS. Peter and Paul, the great Anselm (1093-1109) was buried. Over the chapel is a small room with a window looking into the Cathedral. This was the =Watching Chamber=, in which, as we have seen, a monk was stationed at night to keep watch over the Shrine of St. Thomas. There is a tradition that King John of France was imprisoned here.

We now reach the =South-east Transept=, the work of both William of Sens and English William on Ernulf’s walls.

At the corner of the =South-west choir-aisle= architects love to notice the round arch and double zigzag of the Norman style fitted into the Pointed Arch and dogtooth of the restoration of 1180. Under the windows are the tomb of =Archbishop Reynolds= and the monument to =Hubert Walter=, the latter the warrior-prelate and Crusader who kept the Realm for Richard Cœur de Lion and raised the ransom for his release.

The steps leading down into the great =South Transept= are similar to those of the opposite Transept of the Martyrdom.

Opening east from this Transept is =St. Michael’s=, or =The Warriors’ Chapel=, so named because of the martial monuments and tombs contained in it.

The famous East Kent Regiment “The Buffs” place their memorials here. This Chapel is particularly notable for containing the tomb of =Stephen Langton=, the author of the Magna Charta, which is of earlier date than the chapel. A very beautiful alabaster monument of =Lady Margaret Holland= with her two husbands, John Beaufort, son of John of Gaunt, and the Duke of Clarence, son of Henry IV., beautifully represents the armour and dress of the Fifteenth Century.

The Warriors’ Chapel is Perpendicular (about 1370), with a complex lierne vault. The architect is unknown.

Directly opposite, on the other side of the Choir, is the =Transept of the Martyrdom=. Here was erected a wooden altar to the Virgin, where a portion of the Martyr’s brains were exhibited under a piece of rock-crystal and fragments of Le Bret’s sword.

Before this altar Edward I. was married to Queen Margaret in 1299. A rude representation of the altar may be seen over the south-west door of the Cathedral.

Returning to the =North-west Transept=, we visit the scene of the Martyrdom which took place near St. Benedict’s apsidal chapel (now occupied by the Dean’s Chapel) Dec. 29, 1170, during vespers. The west door from the cloisters by which Becket entered and the pavement by the wall, where he fell, remain. He was mounting the stairs to the north aisle (now removed) when the knights attacked him.

We have already noticed the great =Window= here, which was the gift, in 1465, of Edward IV. and his Queen, whose “figures still remain in it, together with those of his daughters and of the two Princes murdered in the Tower. The ‘remarkably soft and silvery appearance’ of this window has been noticed by Mr. Winston. In its original state the Virgin was pictured in it ‘in seven several glorious appearances’ and in the centre was Becket himself at full length, robed and mitred. This part was demolished in 1642 by Richard Culmer, called Blue Dick, the great iconoclast of Canterbury, who ‘rattled down proud Becket’s glassie bones’ with a pike, and who, when thus engaged, narrowly escaped martyrdom himself at the hands of a malignant fellow-townsman.”--(R. J. K.)

In this transept stands the monument of =Archbishop Peckham= (1279-1292) with his effigy in Irish oak. This is the earliest complete monument in the Cathedral.

We now pass into the =Dean’s Chapel=, occupying the site of St. Benedict’s Chapel. It was formerly the Lady-Chapel, built by Prior Goldstone in 1460 and dedicated to the Virgin. The beautiful fan-vault is similar to that in Henry VII.’s Chapel in Westminster Abbey and to the roof of the staircase leading to the dining-hall of Christ Church College, Oxford. The Dean’s Chapel received its present name from the number of tombs and monuments to deans here, one of the most curious of which is that of =Dean Boys=, who died in 1625. He is represented as he was found dead in his Library, and the arrangement of the books with the edges turned outward from the shelves strikes every one as singular.

=Archbishop Warham=, the last Archbishop before the Reformation, also lies here, his heavy tomb in great contrast to that of Archbishop Peckham, already mentioned, near it,--good examples of the styles between 1292 and 1533.

The =East Window= is also notable.

“The figures of Dean Neville and his brother, against the eastern wall, were transferred to this place on the destruction of the chapel which formerly projected from the south side of the nave, and of which the marks in the wall are clearly visible. In the east window some points may be noted. We see the Neville arms, and a red shield with white saltire, and also the elaborate Bouchier arms, the most distinguishable features of which are the water ‘budgets,’ two curious red skins joined together at the top, sometimes given as an honourable blazon to those who supplied an army with water. We also see the Bouchier knot alternating in most of the panes with the oak leaf and acorn. This is the mark of Woodstock.”--(F. and R.)

A door here leads into the Great Cloister.

Opposite to St. Anselm’s, =St. Andrew’s Chapel=, now used as the Choir Vestry, contains interesting remains of coloured decorations. In olden days St. Andrew’s was a sacristy, where, as we have seen, were kept the very precious offerings to the Shrine. On the inner side is a building of late Norman work--this was originally the Treasury.

The =North-east Transept= is a repetition of the South-east Transept. It, however, contains a monument to Archbishop Tait, designed by Boehm; and in the north wall are three slits called hagiscopes. Through these “holy spy holes,” the Prior could see Mass being celebrated at the High Altar and in the altars in the Chapels of St. Martin and St. Stephen in the Transept below.

Before descending into the Crypt we must stop to look at =St. Augustine’s Chair=, by tradition the throne on which the kings of Kent were crowned and given by Ethelbert to St. Augustine. All the Archbishops of Canterbury have taken office in it.

“This chair, which is sometimes called the chair of St. Augustine, but which belongs to the Thirteenth Century, is composed of Purbeck marble. In it each successive archbishop for the last six hundred years has sat when he has been admitted to his metropolitan functions.”--(W. H. F.)

The famous =Crypt= is usually entered from the South Transept. It is the oldest part of the Church, having been built between 1093 and 1107 in the reigns of William II. and Henry I. It is heavy, massive, dark and low, like all Norman work. The capitals of the pillars are quaintly and sometimes harmoniously carved; one under St. Anselm’s Chapel, for instance, represents a concert of beasts playing on musical instruments. The whole crypt was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and in the centre stood her altar and chapel. “The Virgin Mother,” Erasmus wrote, “has there an habitation, but somewhat dark, enclosed with a double iron rail, for fear of thieves; for indeed I never saw anything more loaded with riches. Lights being brought we saw a more than royal spectacle. This chapel is not shown but to noblemen and particular friends.”

The beautiful =Screen=, which resembles the screen behind the High Altar of the choir, is thought to have been added with other decorations of the Crypt at the time of the Black Prince’s marriage to the Fair Maid of Kent (1363), when he founded two chantries in the Crypt. These now form the entrance to the =French Church=, where the descendants of the Huguenot and Walloon refugees still hold service in the ritual of their ancestors.

Queen Elizabeth gave up the whole of the Crypt in 1561 to the Flemish and French refugees “whom the rod of Alva bruised.” The silk-weavers set up their looms here.

Before the magnificent shrine of the Virgin lies Henry VII.’s minister, =Cardinal Morton=, whose tomb is enriched with the crown and roses of York and Lancaster, the Cardinal’s hat, the Tudor portcullis and a passing allusion to his name--Mort (hawk) and Ton or Tun (a barrel). He assisted in building Bell Harry (or the Angel) Tower.

Another famous tomb in the Crypt is that of =Isabel, Countess of Atholl=, granddaughter of King John and sister-in-law of John Balliol, King of Scotland. She owned the castle of Chilham near Canterbury and died in 1292. Her tomb stands at the entrance to the =Chapel of St. Gabriel=. The latter is extremely dark, but shows, when lighted up, some remarkable frescoes of the Twelfth Century, representing the _Nativity of Christ_ and of _John the Baptist_.

“Further beyond the Duchess of Atholl’s tomb the crypt is much loftier and becomes almost a church in itself. This is the part beyond the apse of the original Cathedral, the place of Becket’s first burial, where Henry II. did penance, passing the night in fasting and in the morning baring his back and receiving three lashes from each of the monks. Here the miracles began to be wrought and the Tumba, even after its contents were removed, was still reckoned a holy place. The present lofty crypt was built over and round the Tumba after the great fire of 1174; and, some forty years after its completion and that of the Trinity Chapel above it, the remains of Becket were translated by Stephen Langton, with great pomp, to the shrine prepared for them in the sanctuary above.”--(W. H. F.)

The Crypt is largely the work of Ernulf; and the diaper pattern and marble shaft by the door that leads from the S. E. corner of the Martyrdom, occur again in Rochester, where Ernulf became bishop (See page 34). A statue of Ernulf, intended for the west front of the Cathedral, is now in his Crypt.

The lower part of the Crypt ends towards the east in a semi-circular sweep of pillars. The end of the Crypt was built by Ernulf in 1096.