Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour. Originally a Brythonic settlement called *Durou̯ernon (composed of the ancient British roots *duro- "stronghold", *u̯erno- "alder tree"), it was renamed Durovernum Cantiacorum by the Roman conquerors in the 1st century AD. After it became the chief Jutish settlement, it gained its English name Canterbury, itself derived from the Old English Cantwareburh ("Kent people's stronghold"). After the Kingdom of Kent's conversion to Christianity in 597, St Augustine founded an episcopal see in the city and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, a position that now heads the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion (though the modern-day Province of Canterbury covers the entire south of England). Thomas Becket's murder at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 led to the cathedral becoming a place of pilgrimage for Christians worldwide. This pilgrimage provided the theme for Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century literary classic The Canterbury Tales. The literary heritage continued with the birth of the playwright Christopher Marlowe in the city in the 16th century. Canterbury Cathedral is one of the most famous religious structures in the world. Parts of the city have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many historical structures remain, including a city wall founded in Roman times and rebuilt in the 14th century, the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and a Norman castle, and perhaps the oldest school in England, The King's School. The city lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district. Canterbury is one of the most-visited cities in the United Kingdom, the city's economy is heavily reliant upon tourism.
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Location: Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury
Photo credit: © Rik Hamilton / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: 1st, ad., canterbury, cantiacorum, cantwareburh, century, chief, conquerors, derived, durovernum, english, gained, jutish, renamed, roman, settlement
