TR1557 : Canterbury - St Martin's Church - churchyard
taken 12 years ago, near to Canterbury, Kent, England
St Martin's in Canterbury can quite reasonably claim to be the oldest church in England. The pagan King Æthelbert of Kent married the Christian Frankish princess Bertha (see TR1557 : Statue of Bertha, Queen of Kent) in c.580AD. He allowed her to continue worshipping according to her faith. With her own priest, Liudhard (later a bishop), she would leave the city walls of Canterbury (via the portal now known as Queningate) and walk the short distance to the building which stood here, a church dating from Roman times, when much of England had been Christian.
Any Roman parts of the current building have been much built over, but from 580AD until now a church has stood here and worship has continued. Its chancel dates from the C7th but was much altered in the C14th.
EH listing here Link