Address
North Holmes Road
Canterbury
CT1 1QJ
United KingdomTelephone: +44(1227)768072
Websites
- Official Homepage
- Hotels nearby
Description
St Martin's is reputedly the oldest church in continuous use in England.It was here that St Augustine started his ministry in 597AD, but it is thought
[more]St Martin's is reputedly the oldest church in continuous use in England.It was here that St Augustine started his ministry in 597AD, but it is thought the church pre-dates that.The marriage of the Frankish Queen Bertha to King Ethelbert of Kent had a condition that she be allowed to retain her Christian beliefs, and this church was built for her on an existing Roman building.St Augustine then used it as his base and King Ethelbert himself may have been baptised here.Together with the Cathedral and St Augustine's Abbey, St Martin's is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Sections of Roman brick and walling remain and there are early Saxon buttresses.The nave is long and high but narrows down into the chancel.The font is Norman, made of Caen stone. A commemorative tablet to Sir John Finch (died 1660), a Speaker of the House of Commons, is under the tower, and Mary Tourtel, creator of Rupert Bear, is buried in the churchyard.
The church is now part of the parish of St Martin & St Paul. Details of services and other events are on the website. Opening times for visitors are 11am to 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
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