Canterbury — Canterbury Tales Mysteries

Canterbury established itself from 597 as the spiritual heart of Anglo-Saxon England, when Saint Augustine founded the first cathedral there on orders from Pope Gregory the Great. But it was the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170 that transformed the city into a major European pilgrimage destination. The Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr, your starting point, bears witness to this influx: founded around 1160, it welcomed travelers from all Christendom in its pilgrims' hall. Its 12th-century walls preserve the atmosphere of contemplation sought by these devotees before their ascent to the sanctuary.

Westgate Towers, built in 1380, marked the official entrance to Canterbury for pilgrims arriving from London. Standing 20 meters high, this last intact fortified gate also served as the municipal prison from the 16th to 19th centuries. Graffiti carved by prisoners on its stone walls tell another story of Canterbury, that of brigands who sometimes robbed pilgrims on the road. From there, you take Mercery Lane, a 12th-century cobbled street where cloth merchants sold travelers the badges and relics necessary for their devotion.

The Buttermarket, established in the 13th century, served as a gathering place for pilgrims before their solemn entry into the sacred enclosure. Its Tudor facades with exposed timber framing testify to the prosperity that pilgrimage brought to Canterbury: innkeepers, money changers, goldsmiths lived off the passage of devotees. Geoffrey Chaucer immortalized this effervescence around 1387 in his Canterbury Tales, describing pilgrims who meet at the Tabard Inn in London before taking the road to Canterbury.

Christ Church Gate, built between 1517-1521 under Henry VIII, marks the architectural pinnacle of pilgrimage. Its Tudor sculptures and engraved royal coat of arms signal entry into the canonical domain, where stands the Gothic cathedral inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1988. The King's School, founded in 597 by Saint Augustine then refounded by Henry VIII in 1541, perpetuates the monastic educational tradition in its buildings integrated into medieval structures.

This journey through Canterbury reveals how a tragedy - Thomas Becket's assassination - shaped a city's identity for eight centuries and inspired one of English literature's masterpieces. You leave with intimate understanding of what medieval pilgrimage represented: a blend of spiritual quest, human adventure and commercial exchange that connected England to Christian Europe.