mary church founded 7th century monastery site roman fort north eastern kent south eastern england site fort given purpose king kent priest named beginning connection kings led king kent buried church wealthy beginning 9th century early 9th century 10th church treated essentially piece property ownership passing kings canterbury viking attacks extinguished church religious community 9th century early 11th century record indicates church hands dean accompanied monks time book completed serving parish church original building incorporated stone tiles roman fort simple consisting nave chancel small room built church northern southern sides nave chancel met church altered expanded middle ages addition 15th century north south leading nave expansion coincided long period prosperity settlement decline led church decay face coastal erosion complete demolition church twin towers preserved intervention long important landmark shipping materials structure incorporated replacement church dedicated built parish rest building new harbour wall known remnants original 7th century church apart site include fragments high cross stone stood inside church stone columns formed arch nave chancel place church demolished kept features led church described anglo saxon church architecture sculpture origins church known existed founded king kent gave land priest purpose author clearly considered significant event king intention founding church create ecclesiastical centre strong english element domination canterbury church turkey north_africa probably equally non native followers historians vary church monastery uses term uses commenting know monasteries founded communities monks dedicated service god living monasteries male communities start bodies secular clergy operating like canterbury accepted degree communal monastic discipline responsible pastoral care extensive rural areas distinction regular secular clergy blurred beginning england word necessarily refer house monks eighth ninth centuries like english equivalent normal term church served body clergy ninth century communities monasteries certainly composed priests clergy lesser orders like cathedral community head canterbury cathedral foundation church sited remains roman fort widespread practice england roman walled places major churches new church built completely demolished roman structures building formed nave measuring feet feet chancel externally internally round entered nave triple arch formed columns limestone region northern france arches formed roman tiles columns church roman origin inside stone bench small rooms forming rudimentary built north south sides church nave met chancel accessed presence stone bench inside attributed influence time followers displaced walls church rendered inside giving plain appearance hiding masonry years foundation church king kent granted lands miles south west western east monastery grant charter recorded probably written grant particular significant highly strategic place overlooking confluence great directly linked canterbury early site toll station agents kings collected trading ships route grant regarded sign enormous royal favour church church received share royal tolls levied original 7th century charter recording grant referred city probably reference roman past church monastic status large population centre abbot elected archbishop_of_canterbury position probably offered patronage support writing years later described having educated bible experienced ecclesiastical monastic affairs terms indicating scholar charters monastery continued benefit kings 8th century acquiring lands exemption toll ship king kent buried church properties belonging 7th 8th centuries indicated passing unrelated records estate land probably high area kent iron sourced use sale behalf unidentified property named land district records provide names early 9th century monastery extremely wealthy appears records essentially piece property period kent control kings beginning treated kent claimed direct control similar churches areas control monastery appears hands archbishop canterbury recorded having deprived land hands king strategically lucrative control secured privilege pope gave right dispose monasteries england year monumental showdown began archbishop king control monasteries featuring particular dispute continued submission surrendering estate hides possibly paying fine secure return record dispute indicates continued denied control heir final settlement reached control kent fell kings compromise reached archbishop king confirmed son recognising lay lords monasteries spiritual particularly election bishops copy record agreement preserved factor leading abandonment strict policy increasing intensity viking attacks begun kent late 8th century seen isle army spent winter occurred like monasteries lay exposed coastal location presented obvious target search treasure 10th century monastery ceased important church kent territory hands kings charter king england gave canterbury time estate included land land miles south west monastery parish church remained home religious community 10th century despite vulnerability viking attacks possible abbot community took refuge canterbury community monk named recorded saint early 15th century found wrote buried church probably killed 10th century regarded martyr church broadly preserved primary character odds evidence monastery lacking 11th century monastery dropped sight entirely abbot recorded unknown abbot possibly abbot appears charters church described monastery governed dean named home monks named names indicate presence religious community european continent probably temporary resurgence communal life period earlier eleventh century old provided refuge body foreign monastery parish church function territory canterbury book records archbishop annual income value compared example manor borough sandwich included account church farmland mill salt fishery numbers multiplied times account represent adult male heads households 13th century parish provided ecclesiastical exceptional wealth led disputes lay church interests pope total income rector vicar included parish ease saints church parish broken archbishop canterbury created parishes response difficulties posed distance mother church steady increase population time parish church later demolished continued receive payments parishes 19th century token repair parish retained perpetual decline church building considerably enlarged time outer walls north south extended nave 8th century forming series rooms including northern southern sides porch western towers added extension new west late 12th century internal walls rooms added 8th century demolished creating north south sides nave 13th century original demolished chancel doubled size incorporating triple east window columns 15th century north south added nave church endowed memory endowed vicar suppressed reign early towers topped shown illustrated map drawn year north tower held ring bells addition towers extraordinary investment parish church extent church enlarged middle ages suggest thriving township developed nearby despite building work church retained prominent anglo saxon features particular enthusiasm seldom displayed visited saw base stone wrought second stone wrought images christ peter john james remember christ alpha peter christ son living god painted roman capitals second stone passion image christ hanging support beneath feet figure high cross describing removed church archaeologists examined believed base 7th century cross 1920s suggested monastery originally built cross compared open air preaching cross scotland traces paint fragments cross details later stylistic assessments indicate cross carved roman column probably dates 8th century 9th stone believed base foundation original 7th century altar reported wall painting unidentified bishop north church arch anglo saxon item found church gospel book roman capital letters thereof stone gospel book written roman unlikely later early ninth century italian import celebrated sixth century manuscript known native product seventh ninth century written half royal appears lavish binding decorated roman cameo final form church consisted nave feet long feet wide north south length feet wide chancel feet long feet wide including towers feet high surviving towers reaching feet towers measure feet square internally connected internally gallery feet floor nave overall length church feet breadth west survives feet decline visited noted coastline north little quarter mile village soon described simple people parish taking services holy communion church map shows church stood feet shore january local justices peace petitioned concerning sea september land near rods feet harm village failure support beer shops points clearly declining population village abandoned end 18th century residents moving miles south west parish decline settlement led decline church described decay noticed nave lowered time judging tops east west walls fact tops windows west door time filled brick noted roof repaired details appearing replacement lead described church weather beaten building away fury elements letter said somewhat dilapidated repairs tended destruction autumn northerly storm combined high tide bring erosion cliff church stood churchyard destroying yards wall churchyard yards foundation church sea defences place costly build design led cliff schemes devised sir preserve cliff means new sea defences estimated cost instead meeting january vicar decided church demolished decision reached vote leading residents including vicar votes evenly split vicar casting vote favour demolition applied archbishop_of_canterbury permission demolish arguing human probability shortly deprived place dead archbishop commissioned neighbouring clergy landowners assess situation reported march church demolished save materials erection church demolition begun september gunpowder described act vandalism parallels records nineteenth century young clergyman parish urged mother demolish shrine early duly save western towers act landmark shipping razed ground demolition shrine early anglo saxon church architecture sculpture thorough represented ruins site material incorporated replacement parish church fragments cross stone columns church triple arch columns fragments cross display thousand tons stone demolished church sold incorporated harbour wall known completed tons lead stripped church sold bought left structure parish ensure towers preserved navigational aid built designed protect cliff ruins stand destroyed storms replaced similarly shaped open structures topped wind structures remained removed time ruins church site roman fort built care english_heritage sea defences protecting church continue maintained archaeological report demolished church published described finding foundations chancel columns formed triple chancel arch noted original floor church concrete inches thick floor previously described prior church demolition polished smooth finished red sample having taken difficulty floor found believed foundations stone cross described noted concrete floor appeared laid floor chancel appeared raised inches chancel extended early english period covered tiles reported hearing existence large circular burial vault east end chancel containing arranged circle excavations undertaken 1920s found nave original church external doors north south west sides chancel doors leading north south turn external doors eastern sides floor described peers noted surface consisted thin layer brick believed date stone described foundations stone cross excavations revealed steps leading burial vault reported peers refer steps vault report extensions west original west dated years church built peers observed extensions given type floor original church drawing comparisons 7th century chapel essex abbey canterbury peers suggested original church probably windows set high northern southern walls nave areas wall found archaeologists missing ground marked site strips concrete edged flint church found free standing monastic buildings stood apart archaeologists discovered foundations identified probably medieval building rectangular east west axis eastern wall aligned church pre dated extending contact western end roman bath house stood yards east south eastern corner 13th century chancel building recorded drew plan roman fort church buildings found area north church lost sea connection peers noted early canterbury churches christ church northern sides building stood west northwest church anglo saxon doorway dimensions anglo saxon church appearance having monastic erection demolished sea weakened foundations storms winter reported building outside churchyard believed parish church stood main church monastery building chapel dedicated later known chapel house stood north eastern corner fort collapsed sea october peers noted brick arches design twin towers west sydney australia added based church efforts save way governor wife elizabeth left asked governor aide camp design towers cathedral west oldest remaining parts anglican church australia oldest site continuous christian worship stone presented cathedral english_heritage
St Mary's Church, Reculver