50-563: Justus (died on 10 November between 627 and 631) was the fourth archbishop of Canterbury . Pope Gregory the Great sent Justus from Italy to England on a mission to Christianise the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism ; he probably arrived with the second group of missionaries despatched in 601. Justus became the first bishop of Rochester in 604 and signed a letter to the Irish bishops urging
100-401: A church contains side aisles , as in a basilica -type building, the strict definition of the term "nave" is restricted to the central aisle. In a broader, more colloquial sense, the nave includes all areas available for the lay worshippers, including the side-aisles and transepts. Either way, the nave is distinct from the area reserved for the choir and clergy . The nave extends from
150-524: A number of years before the arrival of the first Christian mission to England. He permitted the preaching of Christianity. The first archbishop of Canterbury was Saint Augustine of Canterbury (not to be confused with Saint Augustine of Hippo ), who arrived in Kent in 597 AD, having been sent by Pope Gregory I on a mission to the English. He was accepted by King Æthelbert , on his conversion to Christianity, about
200-595: A precedence of honour over the other bishops of the Anglican Communion. He is recognised as primus inter pares , or first amongst equals. He does not, however, exercise any direct authority in the provinces outside England, except in certain minor roles dictated by Canon in those provinces (for example, he is the judge in the event of an ecclesiastical prosecution against the archbishop of Wales). He does hold metropolitical authority over several extra-provincial Anglican churches , and he serves as ex officio bishop of
250-571: A sub-ruler in the region of Rochester. The grant itself is addressed directly to Saint Andrew, the patron saint of the church, a usage parallelled by other charters in the same archive. Wilhelm Levison, writing in 1946, was sceptical about the authenticity of this charter. He felt that the two separate addresses were incongruous, suggesting that the first address, occurring before the preamble, may have been inserted by someone familiar with Bede to echo Eadbald's future conversion (see below). A more recent and more positive appraisal by John Morris argues that
300-479: Is Lambeth Palace . He also has an apartment within the Old Palace , next to Canterbury Cathedral which incorporates some 13th-century fabric of the medieval Archbishop's Palace. Former seats of the archbishops include: Since 1900, the following have served as archbishop of Canterbury: From 1660 to 1902, all the archbishops of Canterbury died in office. In 1928, two years before his death, Randall Davidson became
350-552: Is also a president of Churches Together in England (an ecumenical organisation). Geoffrey Fisher , 99th archbishop of Canterbury, was the first since 1397 to visit Rome, where he held private talks with Pope John XXIII in 1960. In 2005, Rowan Williams became the first archbishop of Canterbury to attend a papal funeral since the Reformation. He also attended the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI . The 101st archbishop, Donald Coggan ,
400-454: Is known about him before he arrived in England. He probably arrived in England with the second group of missionaries, sent at the request of Augustine of Canterbury in 601. Some modern writers describe Justus as one of the original missionaries who arrived with Augustine in 597, but Bede believed that Justus came in the second group. The second group included Mellitus , who later became Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury. If Justus
450-454: Is likely to have between 627 and 631. After his death, Justus was regarded as a saint, and was given a feast day on 10 November. The 9th-century Stowe Missal commemorates his feast day, along with Mellitus and Laurence. In the 1090s, his remains were translated , or ritually moved, to a shrine beside the high altar of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury. At about the same time, a Life
500-575: Is the St ;Augustine Gospels , now in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Manuscript (MS) 286. Augustine consecrated Justus as a bishop in 604 over a province including the Kentish town of Rochester . The historian Nicholas Brooks argues that the choice of Rochester was probably not because it had been a Roman-era bishopric, but rather because of its importance in the politics of the time. Although
550-468: Is the section set apart for the laity, while the chancel is reserved for the clergy. In medieval churches the nave was separated from the chancel by the rood screen ; these, being elaborately decorated, were notable features in European churches from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Medieval naves were divided into bays, the repetition of form giving an effect of great length; and the vertical element of
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#1732859003523600-595: The Chair of St. Augustine . A gospel book believed to be directly associated with St Augustine's mission survives in the Parker Library, Corpus Christi College , University of Cambridge, England. Catalogued as Cambridge Manuscript 286 , it has been positively dated to 6th-century Italy and this bound book, the St Augustine Gospels , is still used during the swearing-in ceremony of new archbishops of Canterbury. Before
650-623: The Church as a whole, with a possible connection to the " Ship of St. Peter " or the Ark of Noah . The term may also have been suggested by the keel shape of the vaulting of a church. In many Nordic and Baltic countries a model ship is commonly found hanging in the nave of a church, and in some languages the same word means both 'nave' and 'ship', as for instance Danish skib , Swedish skepp , Dutch schip or Spanish nave . The earliest churches were built when builders were familiar with
700-535: The English and Welsh order of precedence , the archbishop of Canterbury is ranked above all individuals in the realm, with the exception of the sovereign and members of the royal family . Immediately below him is the lord chancellor and then the archbishop of York. The archbishop of Canterbury awards academic degrees, commonly called " Lambeth degrees ". The archbishop of Canterbury's official residence and office in London
750-507: The Life Peerages Act 1958 . Such titles have allowed retired archbishops to retain the seats in the House of Lords which they held ex officio before their retirement. Nave The nave ( / n eɪ v / ) is the central part of a church , stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts , or in a church without transepts, to the chancel . When
800-576: The "mother church" of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Report of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales (1835) noted the net annual revenue for the Canterbury see was £19,182. The archbishop of Canterbury exercises metropolitical (or supervisory) jurisdiction over the Province of Canterbury , which encompasses thirty of
850-564: The 103rd archbishop; and Rowan Williams (born 1950), the 104th archbishop. In addition to his office, the archbishop holds a number of other positions; for example, he is joint president of the Council of Christians and Jews in the United Kingdom. Some positions he formally holds ex officio and others virtually so (the incumbent of the day, although appointed personally, is appointed because of his office). Amongst these are: The archbishop
900-542: The 5th and 6th centuries Britannia began to be overrun by pagan , Germanic peoples who came to be known collectively as the Anglo-Saxons . Of the kingdoms they created, Kent arguably had the closest links with European politics, trade and culture, because it was conveniently situated for communication with continental Europe . In the late 6th century, King Æthelberht of Kent married a Christian Frankish princess named Bertha , possibly before becoming king, and certainly
950-607: The English", who was sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great and arrived in 597. From the time of Augustine until the sixteenth century, the archbishops of Canterbury were in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and usually received the pallium from the Pope . During the English Reformation , King Henry VIII broke communion with Rome and became the head of the church . Thomas Cranmer , appointed in 1533,
1000-537: The Falkland Islands . As of 2024 the archbishop has four suffragan bishops: The archbishops of Canterbury and York are both styled as "The Most Reverend"; retired archbishops are styled as "The Right Reverend". The archbishop is, by convention, appointed to the Privy Council and may, therefore, also use the style of " The Right Honourable " for life, unless later removed from the council. In formal documents,
1050-505: The Textus in the 14th-century Liber Temporalium . Written mostly in Latin but using an Old English boundary clause, the charter records a land grant near Rochester to Justus's church. Among the witnesses is Laurence , Augustine's future successor, but not Augustine himself. The text turns to two different addressees. First, Æthelberht is made to admonish his son Eadbald , who had been established as
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#17328590035231100-556: The appointment of archbishops of Canterbury conventionally alternates between Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals . The most recent archbishop, Justin Welby is the 105th holder of the office. He was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 4 February 2013. As archbishop he signs himself as + Justin Cantuar . On 12 November 2024 he announced his decision to resign. There are currently two other living former archbishops: George Carey (born 1935),
1150-565: The archbishop of Canterbury is ex officio one of the Lords Spiritual of the House of Lords . He is one of the highest-ranking men in England and the highest ranking non-royal in the United Kingdom's order of precedence . Since Henry VIII broke with Rome , the archbishops of Canterbury have been selected by the English (British since the Act of Union in 1707) monarch. Since the 20th century,
1200-564: The archbishop of Canterbury is not always used in formal documents; often only the first name and see are mentioned. The archbishop is legally entitled to sign his name as "Cantuar" (the Latin for Canterbury). The right to use a title as a legal signature is only permitted to bishops, peers of the Realm and peers by courtesy. Justin Welby as archbishop of Canterbury usually signed as " +Justin Cantuar: ". In
1250-559: The archbishop of Canterbury is referred to as "The Most Reverend Forenames , by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan". In debates in the House of Lords, the archbishop is referred to as "The Most Reverend Primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury". "The Right Honourable" is not used in either instance. He may also be formally addressed as "Your Grace" or, more informally, as "Archbishop". The surname of
1300-611: The break with papal authority in the 16th century, the Church of England was an integral part of the Western European church . Since the break the Church of England, an established national church , still considers itself part of the broader Western Catholic tradition (although this is not accepted by the Roman Catholic Church which regards Anglicanism as schismatic and does not accept Anglican holy orders as valid) as well as being
1350-454: The charter and its witness list are authentic because they incorporate titles and phraseology that had fallen out of use by 800. Æthelberht built Justus a cathedral church in Rochester; the foundations of a nave and chancel partly underneath the present-day Rochester Cathedral may date from that time. What remains of the foundations of an early rectangular building near the southern part of
1400-401: The church with the exception of the two archbishops—serves as Canterbury's provincial dean , the bishop of Winchester as chancellor , the bishop of Lincoln as vice-chancellor, the bishop of Salisbury as precentor , the bishop of Worcester as chaplain and the bishop of Rochester as cross-bearer . Along with primacy over the archbishop of York , the archbishop of Canterbury also has
1450-507: The current cathedral might also be contemporary with Justus or may be part of a Roman building. Together with Mellitus, the bishop of London, Justus signed a letter written by Archbishop Laurence of Canterbury to the Irish bishops urging the native Celtic church to adopt the Roman method of calculating the date of Easter (the computus ). This letter also mentioned the fact that Irish missionaries, such as Dagan , had refused to share meals with
1500-432: The entry—which may have a separate vestibule (the narthex )—to the chancel and may be flanked by lower side-aisles separated from the nave by an arcade . If the aisles are high and of a width comparable to the central nave, the structure is sometimes said to have three naves. It provides the central approach to the high altar . The term nave is from navis , the Latin word for ship , an early Christian symbol of
1550-403: The first voluntarily to resign his office. All his successors except William Temple (who died in office in 1944) have also resigned their office before death. All those who retired have been given peerages : initially hereditary baronies (although both recipients of such titles died without male heirs and so their titles became extinct on their deaths), and life peerages after the enactment of
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1600-514: The followers of religions and cultures." Delegates said that "the deepening of moral values and ethical principles, which are common denominators among such followers, would help strengthen stability and achieve prosperity for all humans." It has been suggested that the Roman province of Britannia had four archbishops, seated at Londinium (London), Eboracum ( York ), Lindum Colonia ( Lincoln ) and Corinium Dobunnorum ( Cirencester ). However, in
1650-456: The form of the Roman basilica , a public building for business transactions. It had a wide central area, with aisles separated by columns, and with windows near the ceiling. Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is an early church which had this form. It was built in the 4th century on the orders of Roman emperor Constantine I , and replaced in the 16th century. The nave, the main body of the building,
1700-522: The forty-two dioceses of the Church of England, with the rest falling within the Province of York . The four Welsh dioceses were also under the province of Canterbury until 1920 when they were transferred from the established church of England to the disestablished Church in Wales . The archbishop of Canterbury has a ceremonial provincial curia , or court, consisting of some of the senior bishops of his province. The bishop of London —the most senior cleric of
1750-586: The last two of these functions, he has an important ecumenical and interfaith role, speaking on behalf of Anglicans in England and worldwide. The archbishop's main residence is Lambeth Palace in the London Borough of Lambeth . He also has lodgings in the Old Palace, Canterbury , located beside Canterbury Cathedral , where the Chair of St Augustine sits. As holder of one of the "five great sees" (the others being York , London , Durham and Winchester ),
1800-553: The missionaries. Justus became Archbishop of Canterbury in 624, receiving his pallium —the symbol of the jurisdiction entrusted to archbishops—from Pope Boniface V, following which Justus consecrated Romanus as his successor at Rochester. Boniface also gave Justus a letter congratulating him on the conversion of King "Aduluald" (probably King Eadbald of Kent), a letter which is included in Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum . Bede's account of Eadbald's conversion states that it
1850-609: The missionaries. Although the letter has not survived, Bede quoted from parts of it. In 614, Justus attended the Council of Paris , held by the Frankish king, Chlothar II . It is unclear why Justus and Peter , the abbot of Sts Peter and Paul in Canterbury, were present. It may have been just chance, but the historian James Campbell has suggested that Chlothar summoned clergy from Britain to attend in an attempt to assert overlordship over Kent. N. J. Higham offers another explanation for their attendance, arguing that Æthelberht sent
1900-463: The native Celtic church to adopt the Roman method of calculating the date of Easter . He attended a church council in Paris in 614. Following the death of King Æthelberht of Kent in 616, Justus was forced to flee to Gaul but was reinstated in his diocese the following year. In 624, he was elevated to Archbishop of Canterbury, overseeing the despatch of missionaries to Northumbria . After his death, he
1950-451: The new king. Mellitus also returned to England, but the prevailing pagan mood did not allow him to return to London; after Laurence's death, Mellitus became Archbishop of Canterbury. According to Bede, Justus received letters of encouragement from Pope Boniface V (r. 619–625), as did Mellitus, although Bede does not record the actual letters—the historian J. M. Wallace-Hadrill assumes both letters were general statements encouraging
2000-610: The pair to the council because of shifts in Frankish policy towards the Kentish kingdom, which threatened Kentish independence, and that the two clergymen were sent to negotiate a compromise with Chlothar. A pagan backlash against Christianity followed Æthelberht's death in 616, forcing Justus and Mellitus to flee to Gaul. The pair probably took refuge with Chlothar, hoping that the Frankish king would intervene and restore them to their sees, and by 617 Justus had been reinstalled in his bishopric by
2050-512: The town was small, with just one street, it was at the junction of Watling Street and the estuary of the Medway and was thus a fortified town. Because Justus was probably not a monk (Bede did not call him that), his cathedral clergy was very likely non-monastic too. A charter purporting to be from King Æthelberht, dated 28 April 604, survives in the Textus Roffensis , as well as a copy based on
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2100-454: The worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury . Justin Welby was enthroned as archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013, and announced his resignation, to take effect at a later date, in November 2024. Welby is the 105th person to hold the position, as part of a line of succession going back to Augustine of Canterbury , the "Apostle to
2150-458: The year 598. It seems that Pope Gregory, ignorant of recent developments in the former Roman province, including the spread of the Pelagian heresy , had intended the new archiepiscopal sees for England to be established in London and York. In the event, Canterbury was chosen instead of London, owing to political circumstances. Since then the archbishops of Canterbury have been referred to as occupying
2200-460: Was Laurence, Justus's predecessor at Canterbury, who converted the king to Christianity, but D. P. Kirby argues that the letter's reference to Eadbald makes it likely that it was Justus. Other historians, including Barbara Yorke and Henry Mayr-Harting , conclude that Bede's account is correct, and that Eadbald was converted by Laurence. Yorke argues that there were two kings of Kent during Eadbald's reign, Eadbald and Æthelwald, and that Æthelwald
2250-448: Was a member of the second group of missionaries, then he arrived with a gift of books and "all things which were needed for worship and the ministry of the Church". A 15th-century Canterbury chronicler, Thomas of Elmham , claimed that there were some books brought to England by that second group still at Canterbury in his day, although he did not identify them. An investigation of extant Canterbury manuscripts shows that one possible survivor
2300-472: Was revered as a saint and had a shrine in St Augustine's Abbey , Canterbury, to which his remains were translated in the 1090s. Justus was a member of the Gregorian mission sent to England by Pope Gregory I. Almost everything known about Justus and his career is derived from the early 8th-century Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum of Bede . As Bede does not describe Justus's origins, nothing
2350-406: Was the "Aduluald" referred to by Boniface. Yorke argues that Justus converted Æthelwald back to Christianity after Æthelberht's death. Justus consecrated Paulinus as the first bishop of York , before the latter accompanied Æthelburg of Kent to Northumbria for her marriage to King Edwin of Northumbria . Bede records Justus as having died on 10 November, but does not give a year, although it
2400-538: Was the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury and would become one of the most important figures in the development of Anglicanism . The archbishop is appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the prime minister of the United Kingdom , however in practice candidates are chosen by the Crown Nominations Commission , a Church of England body. Currently the archbishop fills four main roles: In
2450-627: Was the first to attend a papal inauguration, that of Pope John Paul II in 1978. Since 2002, the archbishop has co-sponsored the Alexandria Middle East Peace process with the Grand Mufti of Egypt . In July 2008, the archbishop attended a conference of Christians, Jews and Muslims convened by the King of Saudi Arabia at which the notion of the "clash of civilizations" was rejected. Delegates agreed "on international guidelines for dialogue among
2500-416: Was written about him by Goscelin , as well as a poem by Reginald of Canterbury . Other material from Thomas of Elmham, Gervase of Canterbury , and William of Malmesbury , later medieval chroniclers, adds little to Bede's account of Justus's life. Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England , the ceremonial head of
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