“Who will rid me . . .

. . . of this turbulent priest?” Henry II may have said these words, but whether he did or not, what is reasonably historically accurate is that on 29 December 1170 four knights took it upon themselves to attack Thomas Becket, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, and murder him on this spot in the Cathedral.

This sculpture was placed here in 1986 above what is called the Altar of the Sword’s Point (so called because a knight’s sword tip broke on the stone with the ferocity of the blow). The two swords and the shadows are the representation of the four swords used in the murder.

The Martyrdom made Canterbury Cathedral the destination of pilgrims for centuries. Now the place is full of visitors of all nationalities, perhaps coming for different reasons. An awe inspiring place nevertheless.