The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-03
CANTERBURY TOWER
IS TO Be R[BUll |.
Famous and Beautiful Cathe.
drsI PlIeIs ThreatenedWith
Destruction
Special Foreign SERVICE

Special Foreign Service
AoNDON, July 2.-Americans who are
coming TO England this year and intend
sisisiiis canterbury will be disappointed
- near mat builders have just begun
~ surround the central tower of the
.e'i,ious caeneoral with huge scaffolding
Wy Whicn It's beauties will be completely
1iiuuen Ior probably many months to
come me temporary Disagreement IS
necessilated, however by the unsound
condltlon OF this portion of the structure
wnlcn mas made Its restoration imuera-
i've lest the tower should share the fate
! VI, u venice Campanile. Historically
known as the Bell Harry, tower this
browning achievement of canterh,rv,s
afchItecnt is commonly regarded as the
nnest example of the perpendicular stvle
VI cnurch architecture in England. al
.nough the name of its designer has not
oeeh named down to posterity It's con-
s,luceion was begun in 1872, and 1t re-
p,acea former tower called theE"Angel
! Steppie, name bestowed on 1t because
| OF the glided cherubim who was perched on
the pinnacle. 1t is 235 feet high and 35
1eet IN diameter. but sGch is the dignity.
and stateliness of the design that It con-
veys the impression of much larger di-
mensions. -gl
After Westminster ). Abbey and st.
=
highly priced of England's Churches both
Tor Its architectural beauty and its his
toric associations. 1t originated it is
SAID In q church formerly used by the
roman Christians and which ST. Angus
Tine consecrated under the name Of
Cnr1sts church when he became arch
bishop of Canterbury in SGT. Enlarged
some 300 years later by Archbishop Odo,
| 1t was totally destroyed by fire in 1857
Archbishop Lanfranc rebuilt 1t, but the
choir was again wholly burned down in
liza, and TO rebuild 1t number of
French and English artificers were sum-
moned. Among the former was one Will
liam OF Sens, who turned out to be man
of real genius, and to him the work was
intrusted He died, however, in 1178 be-
fore the work was finished, but a worthy
successor was found in another William,
this time an Englishman, and to him Is
due the completion of the existing unique
and beautiful choir, the choir transept,
and the corona or circular apse which
under the name of 4'Becket's Crown per-
petuates the memory of the famous arch
bishop who was murdered In the cathe-
dral.
"Of the towards that eat my bread Is
there none will rid me of this turbulent
prfest?" hastily exclaimed King Henry II,
wearying of bis long quarrels with the
soldier prelate and champion Of church
supremacy. How four knights overheard
these hasty words and, interpreting
them as q royal mandate, stole into the
cathedral one evening and slew the arch
bishop before the altar of st. Benedict,
every schoolboy knows. Under threat of
communicating him, the church made
King Henry pay heavy bill Of damages
for instigating that sacrilegious crime.
Beckett was canonized and his bones were
deposited in splendid shrine In the cath.
edral, which for three centuries continued
IN he fho object of Ope OF the great Dfl-
Rrimases of Christendom. Then camS
along another King Henry, eighth Of the
name, the much-married monarch, who,
caring not button for iexcommunication
uuarreled with the pope on the question
of royal matrimonial rights and privileges
and determined to settup as head of the
English church himself. He despoiled
Becket's shrine. getting over score cart
loads of treasure therefrom. erased his
name from the calendar of the saints and
ordered his bones to be burnt and the
ashes to be scattered to the four winds.