Canterbury Cathedral

Founded by St Augustine in 597 AD, Canterbury Cathedral is a unique place of worship, a major pilgrimage destination, a masterpiece of art and architecture, and one of the UK's most-visited historic sites. Often referred to as ‘England in stone', the Cathedral has been at the centre of momentous events and upheavals.

It is the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and resting place of royalty and saints.

It is the home of a community of people who seek to make the Cathedral a place of welcome, beauty and holiness. We hope you will be inspired to worship at the Cathedral and we look forward to welcoming you.

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Get in touch

Enquiries

Cathedral House
11 The Precincts
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 2EH

Main Cathedral office
(01227) 762862

Our website

What's on

Bell Ceremony - A short Act of Remembrance with prayers for peace

Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at for 10 mins
Canterbury Cathedral
The Precincts Canterbury, CT1 2EH, United Kingdom

In the South East Transept

The bell of HMS Canterbury is rung six times, followed by prayers for all who have died in conflict, and for peace in the world. Then an ex-servicemen or sometimes a serving serviceman, will turn the page in the Book of Life (Buff's Book of Remembrance).

The book lists the names of over 7000 men who died during service after 1914.

The ceremony started in 1926 when the smartest soldier on The Buffs Depot Quarter Guard marched from the barracks to the Cathedral.

Safeguarding

Every day hundreds of children enter the Precincts of Canterbury Cathedral and become part of our community. Some of the children are permanent members of the Foundation of Canterbury Cathedral and others may just visit once in their childhood, but to every child, we have a duty of care and responsibility which is an extremely serious trust.

There is, in our society, a great concern that children are cared for in the best possible way and the Church takes this responsibility as one of its most important concerns. We have a Management group, guidelines and policies in place to ensure we follow very closely the principles of the House of Bishops’ Child Protection Policy Document for the whole Church of England.

Read more

Canterbury Cathedral Charity No. 1206913