Canterbury rebuilt under William the Englishman

1182

After the fire that had destroyed the east end, English mason William the Englishman completed the reconstruction of the Trinity Chapel beyond Becket's tomb. The new Gothic space, with its alternating pink and black marble columns, was designed as a shrine to draw pilgrim crowds. The rebuilt cathedral became the richest pilgrimage destination in England, its offerings funding further construction and the maintenance of one of the largest monastic communities in the kingdom.