Description

Book Synopsis

From the bestselling author of Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts, a captivating account of the last surviving relic of Thomas Becket

The assassination of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170 is one of the most famous events in European history. It inspired the largest pilgrim site in medieval Europe and many works of literature from Chaucer''s Canterbury Tales to T. S. Eliot''s Murder in the Cathedral and Anouilh''s Becket.

In a brilliant piece of historical detective work, Christopher de Hamel here identifies the only surviving relic from Becket''s shrine: the Anglo-Saxon Psalter which he cherished throughout his time as Archbishop of Canterbury, and which he may even have been holding when he was murdered.

Beautifully illustrated and published to coincide with the 850th anniversary of the death of Thomas Becket, this is an exciting rediscovery of one of the most evocative artefacts of medieval England.

The Book in the Cathedral

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    A Paperback by Christopher de Hamel


      View other formats and editions of The Book in the Cathedral by Christopher de Hamel

      Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
      Publication Date: 18/09/2025
      ISBN13: 9780141994246, 978-0141994246
      ISBN10:

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      From the bestselling author of Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts, a captivating account of the last surviving relic of Thomas Becket

      The assassination of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170 is one of the most famous events in European history. It inspired the largest pilgrim site in medieval Europe and many works of literature from Chaucer''s Canterbury Tales to T. S. Eliot''s Murder in the Cathedral and Anouilh''s Becket.

      In a brilliant piece of historical detective work, Christopher de Hamel here identifies the only surviving relic from Becket''s shrine: the Anglo-Saxon Psalter which he cherished throughout his time as Archbishop of Canterbury, and which he may even have been holding when he was murdered.

      Beautifully illustrated and published to coincide with the 850th anniversary of the death of Thomas Becket, this is an exciting rediscovery of one of the most evocative artefacts of medieval England.

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