city
Canterbury (Durovernum): St Martin's and Augustine's mission, 597
Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom (England) · Britain & Ireland
51.280, 1.084
Attested. The 597 mission is attested by Gregory's letters and Bede. That St Martin's fabric is Roman is Bede's claim; parts of it are Roman-period brick reused, and its Roman date as a church is debated.
Bede says Queen Bertha, a Frankish Christian, worshipped at St Martin's church east of Canterbury, a building he says dated from Roman times. Augustine, sent by Pope Gregory the Great, arrived in Kent in 597, converted King Æthelberht and founded the see and abbey of Canterbury. St Martin's is the oldest church in continuous use in England.
Source stance: insider. Bede and papal letters.
People and groups named here
- Augustine of Canterbury
- Pope Gregory I
- King Æthelberht of Kent
- Queen Bertha
- Bishop Liudhard
Sources
- Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Book I (Alban, ch. 7; Palladius, ch. 13)
tr. L. C. Jane (1903), public domain; Fordham Internet Medieval Sourcebook. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church (UNESCO World Heritage List no. 496)
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Augustine of Canterbury, Saint
Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-1912), public domain; New Advent. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Pleiades place 79439: Durovernum
Pleiades Gazetteer (ISAW, NYU). Accessed 2026-11-11.
Further reading
Councils here
None in this list.