Trinity Chapel North

Photo by Steve Evans CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Western Nave

Fire Watchers Memorial
FontGreat West Window

Eastern Nave

Pulpit Altar
Compass Rose

Martyrdom

Altar of the Sword Point
The Deans' Chapel

Western Crypt (North Aisle)

Ch. of Holy Innocents
St Nicholas Ch.
St Mary Magdalene Ch.

Eastern Crypt

Watching Chamber
"Transport"
Jesus Chapel

Western Crypt (South Aisle)

Huguenot Chapel
Our Lady Undercroft
St Gabriel Chapel

Pulpitum Steps

Royal Window Bell HarryGreat South Window

Choir

Parclose Screen
Archbishop's Throne
St Augustine's Chair

North Choir Aisle

Chichele Tomb
Bible Windows
Northeast Transept

Opus Alexandrinum
Miracle Windows
Henry IV Tomb
Becket Shrine

Trinity Chapel South

Corona Chapel
Black Prince
Miracle Windows

South Choir Aisle

St Anselm's Chapel
Bossanyi Windows
Southeast Transept

Southwest Transept

St Michael's Chapel
Whall Window
Crypt access & Exit

Great Cloister

Heraldic shields
South, East, North & West panes
Cloister Garth

Chapter House

Wagon Vault
Victorian stained glass

Hint. View the map ‘landscape’ on small screens.

MapThe construction of the Trinity Chapel was completed, under the direction of William the Englishman in 1184, just 9 years following the commencement of the rebuilding of the Choir by the unfortunate William of Sens who was so badly injured when he fell from scaffolding during construction of the Choir that he was unable to continue. The decorations and windows were not fully completed until c.1216-18, following the Prior and monks’ return from exile in France at the end of the protracted dispute between King John and Pope Innocent III over the Pope’s appointment of Archbishop Stephen Langton (1207/1229).

What's here?

The empty space in the centre of the Trinity Chapel, now marked by a single candle, once contained the magnificent Shrine of Thomas Becket, until swept away on the orders of Henry VIII in 1538 – the 12th century Opus Alexandrinum pavement, inlaid into the floor in front of the shrine was left intact. Further along the aisle, to our right, is the tomb of Henry IV and his queen Joan of Navarre. The six stained glass windows that line the north aisle include the Life of Becket window and four original thirteenth century Miracle Windows. Beyond Henry IV and Joan are the tombs of Dean Wotton (right) and Archbishop Davidson (opposite).

The Site of the Becket Shrine (1220-1538)

The space in the centre of the Trinity Chapel is occupied by a solitary candle that marks the site of the Shrine of Thomas Becket that stood here for over 300 years between 1220 and 1538. In that time, the shrine attracted hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Canterbury from all over Europe until it, and all other monuments to Saint Thomas, were destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII.

The shrine was bedecked in gold and precious stones – the votive offerings of the emperors, kings and other wealthy individuals who came here in pilgrimage. When the shrine was dismantled by Henry VIII’s men, the jewels and gold were packed into two coffers that took eight men to lift and it took 26 ox-carts to carry off the spoils to the Royal Treasury at the Tower of London.

Video: The Becket Shrine c.1408

There is little evidence of the Shrine’s existence today, other than a shallow groove in the red marble floor, marking the outline of the shrine’s base – the imprint of the knees of countless pilgrims, as they knelt in prayer.

The Opus Alexandrinum Pavement (c.1130-1220)

The floor at the western end of the central area of the Trinity Chapel is inlaid with an intricate Italian marble mosaic pavement, known as the Opus Alexandrinum, after the style of mosaic paving associated with the 3^rd century Roman Emperor, Alexander Severus.

The pavement is a striking piece of medieval mosaic art, parts of which may predate the shrine itself. The pavement is flanked on either side by 36 roundels representing the twelve signs of the Zodiac, the twelve months of the year, and seven virtues and vices, interspersed by some mythological beasts. The origin of the roundels is unknown, although it is possible that they have an association with St Omer, France to where the monks of the Priory were exiled between 1207 and 1213 during the prolonged quarrel between Pope Innocent III and King John over the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Tomb and Chantry of Henry IV (1439)

Henry IV (1399/1413) is the only monarch to be buried in the Cathedral. He was the first Lancastrian king and, incidentally, the first king to give his coronation speech in English. Here, he lies alongside his second wife Joan of Navarre, who died in 1437, surviving him by 24 years. The tomb was built two years after Joan’s death by the master mason Richard Beke.

The troubled reign of Henry IV

The opening of the tomb in 1832

The Chantry Chapel

Opposite the tomb (but not normally open to the public) and constructed at the same time as the tomb, is the chantry chapel endowed by Henry IV in his will and dedicated to the royal saint, Edward the Confessor.

This Chantry Chapel rests on pillars outside and was built between two buttresses of the Trinity Chapel. Like the tomb, it was designed by master mason Richard Beke – the roof is an early example of a fan vault. The chapel was used for the display and storage of the Cathedral’s more valuable relics (thus the heavy iron door). It was sacked and closed by the Commissioners of Henry VIII in 1538 and remained closed until 1931, when it was restored after almost 400 years’ neglect.

The wooden screen in front of the chapel created an enclosed viewing or waiting area for visiting pilgrims. The Altar, with cross and candlesticks, was designed by Professor Tristram in 1931. On the green curtain, above the Altar, are embroidered figures representing St Edward the Confessor and the Beggar (in reality St John the Evangelist in disguise), holding the ring given to him by the King, one of the many legends surrounding the Saxon Monarch, who was for many centuries the Patron Saint of England. The three panels of 15^th century glass in the Chapel are (left to right) of St Christopher, carrying Christ on his shoulders, St Edward the Confessor and St Katherine of Alexandria.

The North Aisle Miracle Windows (c.1210-1230)

The Miracle Windows are so-called because they depict some the of miracles from the Miracles of St. Thomas of Canterbury (Miracula Sancti Thomae Cantuariensis), recorded by Benedict of Peterborough (with later contributions by William of Canterbury) from their observations at the first tomb of Thomas Becket in the crypt between 1171 and 1180. Of the six windows in the north aisle of the Trinity Chapel (going clockwise) the first (the Life of Becket) and second are relatively modern replacements or reproductions, but the remaining four are substantially as they were in the early thirteenth century.

First Miracle Window (n.VII)

The first window, on the left at the top of the Pilgrims’ Steps, is the Life of Becket Window. It includes the often-reproduced portrait of Thomas Becket at the centre of the bottom row. The original early thirteenth century glass, depicting the early life of Thomas Becket, was probably destroyed at the time of the Reformation (1538/1540).
The Becket window was extensively restored in 1925 by the renowned Cathedral glazier Samuel Caldwell Jr. Caldwell was not only a skilled restorer of ancient glass, but was an accomplished stained glass artist in his own right. He was able to reuse medieval glass – e.g. the face of Becket in the bottom may be original – alongside modern glass. He was able to re-create the “look and feel” of ancient glass so convincingly that he even managed to deceive colleagues and the stained glass experts of his time!

Scenes from the Life of Becket window

There are 9 rows, comprising 17 panels in this window.

Rows 1 & 2

1Thomas Becket enthroned, and below him 2a stricken man laid out in front group of friends, who are pointing upwards (towards Thomas?).

Rows 3 & 4

Row 3, left 3laymen praying at an altar;
centre 4Henry II and Thomas seated on thrones – illustrating their close relationship in the days when they effectively ruled England;
right 5monks praying at an altar.

Row 4 6A pilgrim making an offering at Becket’s tomb in the crypt.

Row 5

left 7 three mailed knights beat on the Cathedral door;
centre 8Becket, watched over by monks, prays at at the altar;
right 9an armoured knight pursues a monk through the cloister.

[admin-note]The central panel of this row contains a good example of the re-use of ancient glass. Needing an archbishop’s mitre, Caldwell Jr. was able to re-use the mitre that he (or a predecessor) had removed from Miracle Window 5, panel 4 – the distribution of Becket’s clothing to the poor.(Chronology – this window was restored in1925 but a 1927 photo shows the mitre still in MW5.4?)[/admin-note]

Rows 6, 7 & 8

Row 6 10A judge presides over a trial by combat.

Row 7, left 11a sick man in a bed;
centre 12 The public penance of Henry II at the tomb, in July 1174;
right 13A pilgrim family making an offering at the Becket tomb.

Row 8 14The defeated combatant (from row 6) is knocked to the ground and prays to St Thomas for help.

Bottom row, 9

left 15a man carrying a child on his shoulders, attended by a monk at the tomb;
centre 16The much reproduced portrait of Thomas Becket, seated with his right arm raised in blessing;
right 17three pilgrims with staffs and a water bottle.

Second Miracle Window (n.VI)

Third Miracle Window (n.V)

Scenes from the Third Miracle Window

Top row

1 Baldric falls off his horse. A man seizes the bridle, while another comes to the aid of the rider, who lies with eyes closed in the foreground – clouds denote open country.

Second row

2 Baldric’s wife urges him to invoke St Thomas, who appears, crook in hand, at his bedside, while he sleeps. 3 Baldric is cured and gives thanks at the tomb of the Saint, while his wife and another man stand in the background gesticulating.

Third row

4 Stephen of Hoylake, is tormented by demons, one at his head, another at his feet. A woman stoops over him, trying to sooth him, while another demon floats down from above. He is delivered and cured by prayer to St Thomas.

Fourth row

5 This much-reproduced panel depicts four pilgrims on horseback, four on foot and a cripple on crutches. The nearest rider appears to be taking a ring off his finger to give to the cripple, as in the story of King Edward the Confessor and the beggar. 6 Pilgrims, attended by a priest, holding a money bag, drink at the well of St Thomas. They are giving thanks to St Thomas for their deliverance from a shipwreck, while on their way to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. The embroidered bags around their necks, containing crosses intended for St James of Compostela, are instead presented to St Thomas as their Liberator.

Fifth row

7 Unidentified figures gathered around a tomb, presumably that of St Thomas.

Sixth row

8 William Patrick, with a beard, has toothache. He is delivered from pain by touching the cloak of St Thomas. 9 William, a Priest of London, is cured from paralysis by a visit to the tomb in the Crypt and drinking from a cup into which a monk has placed a drop of blood of the Martyr.

Bottom row

10 Sufferers are cured at the tomb. A monk touches a blind youth’s eyes. Standing by are a man with head pains and a yellow cloaked woman with toothache.

Fourth Miracle Window (n.IV)

The mysterious Régale of France

When his son did in fact recover, King Louis made a pilgrimage of thanksgiving to the tomb. In gratitude he gifted the monks a vineyard at Poissy, near Paris and to the Saint, the great ruby, the Régale of France, which was placed on the tomb and later on the shrine. The famous ruby (variously described as being ‘the size of a goose egg’ or ‘no bigger than a thumbnail’) came into Henry VIII‘s possession when he had the Becket shrine dismantled in 1538 and it was reported that Henry had the ruby incorporated into a thumb ring. Portraits of the king by Holbein (and his many imitators) usually show the king wearing one or more opulent rings, that might be the Régale – though this cannot be proved. The inventory of Henry VIII’s property taken on his death in 1547 does not list the Régale, nor is there any record of his son, Edward VI, inheriting it. The famous ruby seems to have disappeared without trace!

Scenes from the Fourth Miracle Window

Top row

1Pilgrims bring a phial of holy water of St Thomas to a sick man (the flask is made of pink glass, flushed with ruby to represent the diluted blood of the Martyr). A man hurries forward to meet two others, one of whom pours the healing water, with its mixture of blood, from a bottle into a bowl held by a second with outstretched hands. 2St Thomas visits a sick man.

Second row

3Petronilla of Polesworth, an epileptic nun, who has a fit in the presence of her Abbess. 4 Petronilla is taken to the tomb in the Crypt, where her feet are bathed in Holy water, after which she begins to recover.

Third row

Panels 5, 6 and 7 are modern copies or reproductions. Panel 5is a copy of panel 11 in the first miracle window in the South Aisle. William Kellett is a carpenter who severely wounds his leg with an axe and is visited by St Thomas. The panel shows a woman unbandaging William’s leg, to find it miraculously healed. 6 Four men praying at the tomb.

Fourth row

7may be modelled on panel 1 in this window. It shows four men with the holy water of St Thomas at the tomb. 8St Thomas visits King Louis VII of France in a dream to inform him that his 14 year-old son Philip (who had fallen ill in August 1179) would recover. See note above.

Fifth row

9Robert of Cricklade, Prior of the Austin Canons at St Fridewide’s (now Christ Church), Oxford, is brought to the tomb to bathe his swollen feet in the holy water. 10Miraculously cured, Robert gives thanks, and casts aside his cloak and boots.

Sixth row

11Juliana Puintel is ill, seated and sleeping in her high-backed chair, “tormented in her bowels”. St Thomas appears and summons her to the tomb to be cured. 12At to the tomb, Juliana’s pain dissolves. She makes an offering of tapers and a coil of silver wire.

Seventh row

13Mad Henry of Fordwich is brought to the tomb by his carers, who are armed with cudgels and cords. 14Henry kneels at prayer after his restoration to sanity. The cudgels are cast away beside the tomb

Eighth row

15Ethelreda (aka Audrey) of Canterbury, ‘pale from the loss of red blood’ is drinking from a bowl. She has a malarial disease known as Quartan fever (i.e. recurring every four days). 16A Priest mixes the blood of the Martyr with Holy water. Note. It is possible to read the sequence of these two panels from right to left. In any event, when Ethelreda has drunk the holy water, her strength and composure are restored to her.

Fifth Miracle Window (n.III)

The fifth window, which dates from after 1213 but before 1220, consists of four rows of large roundels, each divided into four segments with 2 smaller panels on either side between the rows, making 22 panels in all. The topmost panel contains the famous representation of the Golden Shrine of Saint Thomas, with the saint ‘flying’ out if it. The glass in this window was probably installed prior to the grand ceremony of Becket’s translation on 7^th July 1220.
This window was removed in 2021 and loaned to the British Museum for its Thomas Becket: murder and the making of a saint exhibition (delayed a year by Covid), marking the 850th anniversary of the murder. The removal presented the opportunity for closeup examination by Rachel Koopmans, Professor of History at York University, Toronto, and Leonie Seliger, Director of the Cathedral’s Stained Glass Studio. Their remarkable discoveries have led to the re-interpretation of several of the stories, and to the reuniting of a group of three panels, which had become separated during a previous restoration.
Note The ‘window’ that visitors see currently is in fact an acetate print. The window itself, is due to be reinstated some time in 2023. New research is indicated with an asterisk.
Top row
1 top segment The Martyr emerges from the Shrine in a vision of one of the monks, who is sleeping in a bed near the Shrine. This may even be Benedict or his colleague William, who spent several years noting the details of the 700+ miracles they observed at the first Becket tomb in the eastern crypt.
2 left This is not, as previously thought, the story of Roger of Valognes and his injured foot, but Ralph the leper who travels to Canterbury, to be bathed with holy water at the tomb. Careful scrutiny of the glass under a microscope has revealed tell-tale leprosy spots that have faded over time, and are now barely visible. 3right Ralph, now cured, gives thanks at the tomb. At some point during a previous repair, the top part of Ralph’s torso has been replaced by that of a woman. This is an erroneous restoration carried out in the 1800s. The same research has revealed that panel 13in the third row below, also belongs to the miracle of Ralph the leper, and there are plans to reinstate it in its rightful place when the glass is reinstalled.
4bottom not Godwin of Boxgrove, cured of leprosy, giving away his vestments but the monks giving Thomas’ clothing to the poor, as was the custom. The restorer modified the panel to fit the Godwin story by adding in the figure on the left. A b&w photograph from 1927 clearly shows an empty chair draped with the archbishops clothing, and mitre sitting on top. What happened to the mitre? After a little detective work, Leonie Seliger was able to find the missing mitre, inserted into Samuel Caldwell Jr’s reconstructed Life of Becket window (see window 1, panel 8 above). The panel in question shows Thomas before an altar – and his mitre does seem a little ill-fitting! As the Caldwell window (1925) predates the photograph, it has been suggested that the switch occurred when the windows were re-instated in the late 1940s, having been removed for safe-storage during WWII.
5small panel left Goditha, suffering from dropsy (oedema) – a disease that causes fluid retention and swelling of the limbs – travels to Canterbury with a helper and, small panel right 6is cured.
Second row
This row is filled mostly with 19^th century glass, following restoration by George Austin Jnr. in c.1860. The image of St Thomas in the bottom segment 10 may be original (c.1214/1220).
The four main panels 7 8 9 and 10 and the two smaller panels below them, tell the story of the Lame Sisters of Boxley, the daughters of Godbold of Boxley, who have been lame since birth. One of the sisters is cured by a vision of St Thomas in a dream and is taken to Canterbury to give thanks. The other sister complains to St Thomas of having been neglected and (in the smaller panels, below) 11 travels with her able sister to the tomb, where 12 she too has a vision of the saint, and is cured.
Third row
13A man riding out of the City who, according to the Latin inscription, has been cured of leprosy. This is not, as previously speculated, either Gerald of Porta Clausa or Walter of Lisors, but in fact, Ralph the leper from the top row, panels 2 & 3 of this window – the panel belongs with them as the top segment. The presence of two wyverns (two-legged winged dragons, symbols of impending doom) presiding over this scene, has long puzzled the experts. However, with this new attribution, a re-reading of the written account of the miracle of Ralph the leper reveals the reason. Ralph’s cure was short-lived. He had planned pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but his leprosy returned with a vengeance, even before he had started out.
14Eilward of Westoning, near Bedford, is falsely accused of abusing and stealing from Fulk, who owed Eilward a donarius (a silver coin). Eilward is brought before a magistrate (shown left wearing a white cap) and found guilty after being subjected to trial by immersion in water (not altogether reliable!).
15Eilward is condemned to be blinded and castrated and the magistrate is seen supervising the savage sentence being carried out.
16Eilward makes confession to a priest, who advises him to pray to St Thomas. He does so and soon his sight is restored. He travels to Canterbury to give thanks to St Thomas. He points to his eyes and gives away to the poor and crippled gifts, which he has received from other pilgrims and well-wishers.
17St Thomas is shown in a vision administering a cure to the eyes of Eilward.
18Eilward gives thanks at the tomb of St Thomas.
Fourth row
19Hugh, the Cellarer of Melrose Abbey, is dying and is seen receiving extreme unction from his Abbot.
20Hugh drinks Holy Water brought from the well near the tomb of St Thomas.
21Blood pours from Hugh’s nose and he is cured.
22Hugh gives thanks at the tomb of St Thomas (The original panel has been lost and replaced with a 19^th or early 20^th century copy).

Sixth Miracle Window (n.II)

Tombs of Dean Wotton (c.1567) & Abp. Davidson (1930)

Immediately opposite the last two miracle windows in the north aisle is the most striking Renaissance tomb in the Cathedral; that of Dean Nicholas Wotton. The effigy shows the Dean kneeling in his Doctor of Divinity surplice, with an obelisk towering above him. The Latin epitaph (written by the Dean himself) on the pillar nearby, praises his many accomplishments, adding that he was “indeed slim of build, and though of small stature, yet upright, he had a healthy constitution and the look of a gentleman.”*

Wotton has the distinction of being appointed the first Dean of the “New Foundation” of the Cathedral, following the dissolution of the Christchurch Priory – and pensioning-off of the last Prior, Thomas Goldwell – in 1540. He was a distinguished lawyer and diplomat, much trusted by Henry VIII, who made him his executor. He was abroad so often on diplomatic missions that he seldom visited Canterbury and never York, a deanery which he held simultaneously with Canterbury. While his reputation as a diplomat flourished, his standing as the first post-Reformation Dean fared less well. The twelve prebendaries who were left in charge during his long absences, quarrelled and squandered all the plate and vestments left for the performance of divine service under the new regime.

*From a translation by Jonathan Gale

The ‘modern’ tomb opposite, is that of Dr. Randall Davidson (1903-28). Strictly speaking, it is a cenotaph – an empty tomb – as the Archbishop is buried in the cloister garden. He has the distinction of being both the first archbishop to retire from office, in November 1928 (he died in 1930), and the last archbishop to be memorialised with a conventional tomb and sculpted effigy.

The bronze effigy, by British sculptor, Cecil Thomas (1885-1976) depicts the archbishop in his cope, his hand raised in blessing.

Where next?

Continue to the X Corona & Trinity Chapel South.

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