afternoon of 29 December 1170 they arrived at the Archbishop's Palace and tried to see Becket. But Becket's followers persuaded the Archbishop - with some difficulty - to head for what they presumed was the safety of the Cathedral. But the knights pushed their way in from the Cloisters and caught up with Becket just inside the door (in the North-West Transept). There they hacked him to death, slicing off the top of his head. A bare stone altar and a dramatic cross-shaped dagger mark the spot today. Becket's murder was the most documented and, to many, the most shocking single act in medieval Europe. It transformed the life of Canterbury by bringing mass pilgrimages to a cathedral already famous for pilgrimages to St Dunstan's tomb. In July 1174 Henry himself came to do penance at the altar - he literally came on his knees. Just six weeks later a huge fire destroyed the choir and east end of Anselm's Cathedral; fortunately the Crypt (containing both Becket's tomb and some stunning Norman architecture) survived. This near-disaster gave those charged with rebuilding the opportunity to work in the new Gothic style that was spreading across northern Europe. Over 30 years of construction saw a masterpiece of Gothic architecture arise on the Norman foundations. This same period saw the construction of Chartres, Notre Dame in Paris, and Reims cathedrals. The pilgrim trade received its biggest boost when this work was completed and Becket's body was moved up to its new resting place