The Corona, Canterbury Cathedral

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Becket in a stained glass window in The Corona
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Becket in a stained glass window in The Corona

The Corona is the east end of Canterbury Cathedral, named after the severed crown of Thomas Becket (St. Thomas the Martyr), whose shrine it was built to contain.

Becket was murdered in the quire (or choir) of the cathedral on 29 December 1170. Four years later a disastrous fire destroyed the eastern end of the church. After William of Sens had rebuilt the Quire, William the Englishman added the immense Corona as a shrine for the relics of St. Thomas. The income from pilgrims who visited Becket's shrine, which was regarded as a place of healing, largely paid for the subsequent rebuilding of the Cathedral and its associated buildings.

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