Editing Canterbury Cathedral (section)

=== The Modern period ===
[[File:Canterbury Cathedral font, Kent, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The decorative font in the nave]]

==== The Reformation, Dissolution and Puritanism ====

The cathedral ceased to be an abbey during the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] when all religious houses were suppressed. Canterbury Cathedral, and the great monastery of Christ Church were surrendered to the Crown on 30 March 1539, after the occupants had made "an inventory of the good, chattels, plate, precious ornaments, lead, and money belonging to the monks" and "all that could be moved" was "handed over to the master of the jewel-house" of the Tower of London, after which "the Prior and monks were then ejected.<ref>G. S. Smith, ''Chronological History of Canterbury Cathedral'' (H. S. Claris, 1883) p.143</ref> 
The Cathedral reverted to its previous status of 'a college of secular canons'. According to the cathedral's own website, it had been a Benedictine monastery since the 900s. The New Foundation came into being on 8 April 1541.<ref>Barrie Dobson, "Canterbury in the Later Middle Ages, 1220–1540", in ''A History of Canterbury Cathedral'', OUP 1995, p. 153.</ref> The shrine to St Thomas Becket was destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII and the relics lost.

In around 1576, the crypt of the cathedral was granted to the Huguenot congregation of Canterbury to be used as their [[History of the Huguenots in Kent#Administration of the Consistory and Church of the Crypt|Church of the Crypt]].

In 1642–1643, during the [[English Civil War]], [[Puritan]] iconoclasts led by [[Edwin Sandys (Parliamentarian)]] caused significant damage during their "cleansing" of the cathedral.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QYywtJ4rb0C&q=civil+war+canterbury+cathedral&pg=PA204|title=Puritan Iconoclasm During the English Civil War|first=Julie|last=Spraggon|date=30 July 2018|publisher=Boydell Press|isbn=978-0-85115-895-2|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731093113/https://books.google.ca/books?id=8QYywtJ4rb0C&pg=PA204&lpg=PA204&dq=civil+war+canterbury+cathedral&source=bl&ots=eVaa6titxE&sig=pF_G8hRLBR486X_nvmPhJNBm_KU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjttaWSgpjcAhVp44MKHQysDogQ6AEwGnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=civil+war+canterbury+cathedral&f=false|archive-date=31 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Included in that campaign was the destruction of the statue of Christ in the Christ Church Gate and the demolition of the wooden gates by a group led by [[Richard Culmer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/blogs/missing-figures-canterburys-stained-glass|title=The missing figures in Canterbury's stained glass – Tate|website=Tate.org.uk|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712184507/https://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/blogs/missing-figures-canterburys-stained-glass|archive-date=12 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The statue would not be replaced until 1990 but the gates were restored in 1660 and a great deal of other repair work started at that time; that would continue until 1704.<ref name="canterbury-archaeology.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk/ccgate/4590809464|title=ccgate – Canterbury History|website=Canterbury-archaeology.org.uk|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806150709/http://www.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk/ccgate/4590809464|archive-date=6 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="canterbury-cathedral.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/history/cathedral-history-in-a-nutshell/|title=1,400 Years of History|website=Canterbury-cathedral.org|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712025951/https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/heritage/history/cathedral-history-in-a-nutshell/|archive-date=12 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Furnishings ====
In 1688, the joiner Roger Davis, citizen of London, removed the 13th-century [[misericords]] and replaced them with two rows of his own work on each side of the quire. Some of Davis's misericords have a distinctly medieval flavour and he may have copied some of the original designs. When [[Sir George Gilbert Scott]] carried out renovations in the 19th century, he replaced the front row of Davis' misericords, with new ones of his own design, which seem to include many copies of those at [[Gloucester Cathedral]], [[Worcester Cathedral]] and [[New College, Oxford]].

[[File:Canterbury Cathedral, view of the Western Towers engraved by J.LeKeux after a picture by G.Cattermole, 1821 edited.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The west front in 1821 showing the [[Normans|Norman]] northwest tower at left prior to rebuilding (coloured engraving)]]

==== Statues on the West Front ====

Most of the statues that currently adorn the west front of the cathedral were installed in the 1860s when the South Porch was being renovated. At that time, the niches were vacant and the Dean of the cathedral thought that the appearance of the cathedral would be improved if they were filled. The Victorian sculptor Theodore Pfyffers was commissioned to create the statues and most of them were installed by the end of the 1860s. There are currently 53 statues representing various figures who have been influential in the life of the cathedral and the English church such as clergy, members of the royal family, saints, and theologians. Archbishops of Canterbury from [[Augustine of Canterbury]] and [[Lanfranc]], to [[Thomas Cranmer]] and [[William Laud]] are represented. Kings and Queens from [[Æthelberht of Kent|Æthelberht]] and [[Bertha of Kent]], to [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]] and [[Elizabeth II]] are included.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-32068450|title=Canterbury Cathedral statues honour Queen and Duke|publisher=BBC|date=27 March 2015|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731081334/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-32068450|archive-date=31 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 18th century to the present ====
[[File:Christchurch Gate, Canterbury Cathedral.tif|thumb|upright=1.3|The Christchurch Gate with the new (1990) bronze statue of Christ; the original was destroyed in 1643]]

The original towers of Christ Church Gate were removed in 1803 and were replaced in 1937. The statue of Christ was replaced in 1990 with a bronze sculpture of Christ by Klaus Ringwald.<ref name="canterbury-archaeology.org.uk" />

The original Norman northwest tower, which had a lead spire until 1705,{{sfn|Withers|1897|p=27}} was demolished in 1834 owing to structural concerns.{{sfn|Cook|1949|pp=43–45}} It was replaced with a Perpendicular-style twin of the southwest tower (designed by Thomas Mapilton), now known as the Arundel Tower, providing a more symmetrical appearance for the cathedral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=50|title=Engineering Timelines – Canterbury Cathedral|website=Engineering-timelines.com|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712030837/http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=50|archive-date=12 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="canterbury-cathedral.org" /> This was the last major structural alteration to the cathedral to be made.

In 1866, there were six residentiary canonries, of which one was annexed to the [[Archdeaconry of Canterbury]] and another to that [[Archdeacon of Maidstone|of Maidstone]].<ref>''The Clergy List for 1866'' (London: George Cox, 1866) [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=hIxbAAAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.RA1-PA261 p. 261] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203161420/https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=hIxbAAAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.RA1-PA261 |date=3 December 2022 }}</ref> In September 1872, a large portion of the Trinity Chapel roof was completely destroyed by fire. There was no significant damage to the stonework or interior and the damage was quickly repaired.<ref>{{cite news|title=The fire in the Canterbury Cathedral 1872|url=http://www.machadoink.com/The%20Cathedral_4.htm|newspaper=Illustrated London News|date=14 September 1872|access-date=5 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504070506/http://www.machadoink.com/The%20Cathedral_4.htm|archive-date=4 May 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:CANTERBURY ALTAR 7431.jpg|thumb|The cathedral did not sustain serious damage during either World War]]
During the bombing raids of the [[Second World War]] its library was destroyed,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B105DQAAQBAJ&q=canterbury+cathedral+damaged+during+World+War+I&pg=PA181|title=Encyclopedia of Global Religion|first1=Mark|last1=Juergensmeyer|first2=Wade Clark|last2=Roof|date=30 July 2018|publisher=SAGE|isbn=978-0-7619-2729-7|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731031355/https://books.google.ca/books?id=B105DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA181&dq=canterbury+cathedral+damaged+during+World+War+I&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjW7qLc85fcAhUK4YMKHZlRAsEQ6AEINDAC#v=onepage&q=canterbury+cathedral+damaged+during+World+War+I&f=false|archive-date=31 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> but the cathedral did not sustain extensive bomb damage; the local Fire Wardens doused any flames on the wooden roof.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/articles/2007/09/11/canterbury_cathedral_restoration_video_feature.shtml|title=The restoration of Canterbury Cathedral|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027140348/http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/articles/2007/09/11/canterbury_cathedral_restoration_video_feature.shtml|archive-date=27 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1986, a new Martyrdom Altar was installed in the northwest transept, on the spot where Thomas Becket was slain, the first new altar in the cathedral for 448 years. Mounted on the wall above it, there is a metal sculpture by Truro sculptor Giles Blomfield depicting a cross flanked by two bloodstained swords which, together with the shadows they cast, represent the four knights who killed Becket. A stone plaque also commemorates [[Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom]] in 1982.<ref name="chas-martyrdom">{{cite web|title=Thomas Becket Altar (Martyrdom)|url=http://www.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk/becket-altar/4590809612|website=Canterbury Historical & Archaeological Society|access-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417170859/http://www.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk/becket-altar/4590809612|archive-date=17 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Antony Gormley]]'s sculpture ''[[Transport (sculpture)|Transport]]'' was unveiled in the crypt in 2011. It is made from iron nails from the roof of the south-east transept.<ref name="Times11">{{cite news|last1=Durrant|first1=Nancy|title=After Angel of the North, a body of nails in a cathedral|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0504180178/TTDA?u=wes_ttda&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=0782d7e3|access-date=24 August 2022|work=[[The Times]]|issue=70170|date=31 January 2011|page=11|archive-date=11 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111042043/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=TTDA&u=wes_ttda&id=GALE{{!}}IF0504180178&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-TTDA&asid=0782d7e3|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, [[Sarah Mullally]] and [[Rachel Treweek]] became the first women to be ordained as bishops in the cathedral, as [[Bishop of Crediton]] and [[Bishop of Gloucester]] respectively.<ref name="anglicannews1">{{cite news|url=http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/07/first-female-diocesan-bishop-in-c-of-e-consecrated.aspx|title=First female diocesan bishop in C of E consecrated|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106151827/http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2015/07/first-female-diocesan-bishop-in-c-of-e-consecrated.aspx|archive-date=6 January 2016|work=Anglican News|access-date=23 July 2015}}</ref> In 2022, it was announced that [[David Monteith]], who is gay and in a [[Civil partnership in the United Kingdom|civil partnership]], would serve as dean of the cathedral.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Partnered gay priest appointed dean of Canterbury Cathedral|url=https://anglican.ink/2022/10/11/partnered-gay-priest-appointed-dean-of-canterbury-cathedral/|website=Anglican Ink|access-date=2022-10-12|date=12 October 2022|archive-date=12 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012221755/https://anglican.ink/2022/10/11/partnered-gay-priest-appointed-dean-of-canterbury-cathedral/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-10-10|title=New Dean of Canterbury Announced|url=https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/whats-on/news/2022/10/10/new-dean-of-canterbury-announced/|access-date=2022-10-12|website=Canterbury Cathedral|archive-date=11 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011192839/https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/whats-on/news/2022/10/10/new-dean-of-canterbury-announced/|url-status=live}}</ref> His appointment was criticised by the [[Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches]] (GSFA) and the [[Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans]] (GAFCON); the Church of England defended the decision stating that Monteith lives chastely with his partner.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mbakwe|first=Tola|date=18 October 2022|title=Group of conservative bishops 'aggrieved' by appointment of new gay Dean of Canterbury|url=https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/group-of-conservative-bishops-aggrieved-by-appointment-of-new-gay-dean-of-canterbury|website=[[Premier Christianity]]}}</ref> In 2024, the cathedral began offering blessings for same-sex couples "already in civil partnerships or civil marriages" or in "covenanted friendship" during ordinary or regular church services in accordance with "Prayers of Love and Faith".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Canterbury Cathedral to offer Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples|url=https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/news/posts/canterbury-cathedral-to-offer-prayers-of-love-and-faith-for-same-sex-couples/|access-date=2024-06-22|website=Canterbury Cathedral}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=LeBlanc|first=Douglas|date=2024-06-19|title=Canterbury Cathedral Offers Same-sex Blessings|url=https://livingchurch.org/news/news-anglican-communion/canterbury-cathedral-offers-same-sex-blessings/|access-date=2024-06-22|website=The Living Church}}</ref>

The cathedral is Regimental Church of the [[Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment]] and a graduation venue for the [[University of Kent]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kent.ac.uk/congregations/on-the-day/index.html|title=Your graduation day|website=University of Kent|access-date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021003551/https://www.kent.ac.uk/congregations/on-the-day/index.html|archive-date=21 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Canterbury Christ Church University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/graduation/canterbury-cathedral-ceremony.aspx|title=Your Graduation Day at Canterbury Cathedral|website=Canterbury Christ Church University|access-date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101101953/http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/graduation/canterbury-cathedral-ceremony.aspx|archive-date=1 January 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>