Editing Canterbury Cathedral (section)

==== 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>