20 photos of Canterbury Garden at the Cathedral – Wisteria, Fig and Nudity

By total surprise, on my last trip to England, on the quest of gothic cathedrals, I have discovered beautiful garden around Canterbury cathedral! Travelling around different places always make me search for possibility to find garden related subjects. 

This time apart of the architectonic beauty I discovered weird Platanus tree, beautiful fig tree, wisteria - amazingly pleasing not only eyes, but also nose and lavenders growing at gravel paving. For me that was enough to make me happy. 

This contemporary planter at the entrance fits very well the historic place.

Entrance to private parts just next to the cathedral.

Plants are growing everywhere.

Fig tree at the brick wall.

Abnormal Platanus - it's huge, but why so weird? I haven't found the answer, but maybe you know?

Canterbury Cathedral  in the background.

Lavender at the gravel paving.

And those nude decorations of the balcony.

You may ask me then why gothic cathedrals? I study art historyat the Warsaw University and this year there is focus on medieval art. Because gothic cathedrals are one of the most magnificent and spectacular achievements of medieval architecture, I decided to take part in the trip organised by students with patronage of Warsaw University and our great tutor on the subject of gothic, Jakub Adamski PhD.    

Canterbury cathedral in the history is connected with saint Thomas (Archbishop Thomas Becket) that had not been a popular, saintly or even particularly likeable person, but the way he was murdered fired up public discussion – as a result within two years he had become an extra  European celebrity, was canonized as saint, because credited with a heap of miracles (illustrated later in several whole window ensembles in Canterbury Cathedral).

Archbishop Thomas Becket (1118-1170) was murdered (attacked, beheaded and brained) on 29 December 1170 in his own cathedral in Canterbury, during the holy mass,  by four knights responding to the urgings of Plantagenet King Henry II (1133-1189). This is probably still one of the best known in English history.

Graphic representations of his life and more specifically death appeared in very far places as Palestine, Sicily (Mosaic in Monreale Cathedral), Spoleto (Umbria - fresco in the church of Saints John and Paul) and the pilgrimage churches of France such as Chartres (an entire window sponsored by the Guild of Tanners dedicated to Becket's life).