PhotoFeed Contest - Cityscape - Canterbury Sunset.

8 days ago · 3 min read · Canterbury

Hello everyone!

Continuing with the theme of ancient Britain- In 596, Pope Gregory I of Rome instructed one of his high ranked officials, Augustine, to convert remaining pagan Anglo-Saxons in Britannia to Christianity.

The first part of the plan was to travel to Canterbury where he successfully converted the third king of Kent, Ethelbert. At the time he held authority over East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria & Wessex.

Ethelbert was pagan, married a Christian princess named Bertha of modern day Germany (who also happened to be the daughter of the king of Paris) and was the first English king to convert to Christianity.

After their success, the missionaries were given permission from the king to preach freely and converted the kings subjects.
Part of this mission also involved building churches on important pagan sites at the request of Pope Gregory.

Augustine later became the first archbishop of Canterbury in the 597, the abbey was renamed after him upon his death in 604AD. It was the centre of Christianity during the 100 years it took to convert the whole of Britannia. Partially ruined as a result of Henry VIII's dissolution of monasteries, only the gatehouses a a few smaller buildings survived and the grounds are open to the public.

Statues of Ethelbert and Bertha are in the small square below.

On the mainland of the Roman Empire, a quick change of emperors resulted in chaos. Emperor Diocletian restored government whilst also being responsible for a major persecution of Christians. Constantine the Great on the other hand who succeeded Diocletian, was the first emperor to announce he was actively practicing and relieved the suppression of Christianity in Rome.

He called for the 'Council of Arles' to be held in Milan in 314. This was the first representative meeting of Christian bishops in the Western Roman Empire. Britain sent three bishops to the council.

Constantine associated practicing Christianity to his victories and successes. In 324 wrote that he had 'come from the farthest shores of Britain as God’s chosen instrument for the suppression of impiety'.

Around this time, there are some records indicating that people in Britannia had started to convert to somewhat early ideals of Christianity by way of listening to teachings of a man named Pelagius. He emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin.
He produced what is known as the ascetic Pelagius which essentially means he taught ways to not desire material pleasures, and / or adopt a frugal lifestyle.

I've learnt so much about ancient Roman Britain over the past few weeks of exploring, there is more to come!