Launch and Book Signing for John Butler’s The Relics of Thomas Becket

23/09/2019 5:30 pm – 23/09/2019 7:30 pm | Dean John Simpson Room, Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2EH

Join John Butler for the launch of his latest book, The Relics of Thomas Becket: A True-Life Mystery, available exclusively at the Canterbury Cathedral before its publication in January 2020.

This book marks the 800th anniversary of the translation of Thomas Becket’s relics in 1220 from the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral to the shrine in the Trinity Chapel. In it, John Butler carefully sifts the evidence about the fate of Becket’s bones when the shrine was destroyed in 1538, and he explores a series of probing questions. Did the monks of the cathedral attempt to hide the relics before King Henry’s commissioners arrived in Canterbury? Were the bones burnt on the orders of Pope Paul III, as many believe, or did they somehow survive? What is the significance of the grave discovered in the crypt of the cathedral in 1888?

Against a background of church politics and carefully referencing all his sources, John Butler pieces together an intriguing story of faith, science and romanticism that will appeal to all who relish a true-life mystery.

John Butler is Emeritus Professor at the University of Kent and an expert on the history of Canterbury Cathedral. He is author of the acclaimed Quest for Becket’s Bones (1995) and the prize-winning The Red Dean of Canterbury (2011).

When: Monday 23rd September, 5.30pm-7.30pm
Where: Dean John Simpson Room, Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2EH
Price: Free

For more information and to book your free tickets, please email enquiries@cathedral-enterprises.co.uk or call 01227 865 300.

Refreshments provided.