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'''Canterbury''' (derivation from ''Cantwaraburg'' = fortress of the people of [[Kent]] – from the Old-Celtic for Kent + O.E. wara = people + burg (fortified place)) is a [[cathedral]] town in [[Kent]] [[England]] on the River Stour, 100 km (60 miles) southeast of [[London]].

'''Canterbury''' (derivation from ''Cantwaraburg'' = fortress of the people of [[Kent]] – from the Old-Celtic for Kent + O.E. wara = people + burg (fortified place)) is a [[cathedral]] town in [[Kent]] [[England]] on the River Stour, 100 km (60 miles) southeast of [[London]].

It is very old and was an important [[Iron Age]] settlement when the [[Roman]]s arrived and made it a regional centre (Durovernum)  in the 1st century A.D.,  There is evidence of its importance throughout the Roman occupation until  the turn of the fifth century – including walls, temples and, possibly, early [[Christian]] churches which may have existed into the early [[Anglo-Saxon]] era. One such church, St. Martin’s was included with the cathedral and St. Augustine’s Abbey as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

It is very old and was an important [[Iron Age]] settlement when the [[Roman]]s arrived and made it a regional centre (Durovernum)  in the 1st century A.D.,  There is evidence of its importance throughout the Roman occupation until  the turn of the fifth century – including walls, temples and, possibly, early [[Christian]] churches which may have existed into the early [[Anglo-Saxon]] era. One such church, St. Martin's was included with the cathedral and St. Augustine's Abbey as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

It became the capital of the [[pagan]] kingdom of Kent; at that time the most powerful in the lower half of England.  In 602 St. Augustine of Canterbury, under the patronage of the Kentish king’s Christian wife, founded a church and monastery there and it is from there that [[Christianity]] spread through Anglo-Saxon England. When Kent lost its dominance, first to [[East Anglia]] then to [[Wessex]], the [[Diocese|See]] of Canterbury retained its position as the leading centre of the Church in England.  This would continue with the post-[[Reformation]] [[Church of England]].  

It became the capital of the [[pagan]] kingdom of Kent; at that time the most powerful in the lower half of England.  In 602 St. Augustine of Canterbury, under the patronage of the Kentish king's Christian wife, founded a church and monastery there and it is from there that [[Christianity]] spread through Anglo-Saxon England. When Kent lost its dominance, first to [[East Anglia]] then to [[Wessex]], the [[Diocese|See]] of Canterbury retained its position as the leading centre of the Church in England.  This would continue with the post-[[Reformation]] [[Church of England]].  

The town would prosper with its ecclesiastical importance. Centuries before the cathedral became one of the most important places of pilgrimage after the murder of [[Thomas Becket]] in 1170, the pre-eminence of such men as [[St. Dunstan]] in the 10th century, [[St. Anselm]]  (d.1109) and others brought patronage to the town.

The town would prosper with its ecclesiastical importance. Centuries before the cathedral became one of the most important places of pilgrimage after the murder of [[Thomas Becket]] in 1170, the pre-eminence of such men as [[St. Dunstan]] in the 10th century, [[St. Anselm]]  (d.1109) and others brought patronage to the town.