Month: November 2014

Speech by Colin Carmichael, Chief Executive of Canterbury City, to Via Francigena Conference at Abbazia Tre Fontane in Roma (8th November 2014). The City of Canterbury is member of the EAVF since 2005.

“1400 years ago a monk named Augustine was sent from Pope in Rome to Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Kent to convert the King and his people from paganism to Christianity.

King Ethelbert had married a Frankish princess, whose name was Bertha, and who was Christian. 

Every day she walked from the King’s palace to St Martin’s Church to say mass and pray. St Martin’s church is now the oldest continuously used parish church in England.

Augustine founded the Abbey in his name, St Augustines Abbey. Later Kings founded the Cathedral.

These 3 buildings now form the UNESCO world heritage site in Canterbury.

Augustine’s successors became the Archbishops of Canterbury. 

The Archbishops received a blessing and their ‘pallium’ from the Pope in Rome. Archbishop Sigeric was the first to leave a record of his journey, in 990AD, which we now call the Via Francigena.

King Ethelbert’s successors also followed the Via. 

The most famous Anglo Saxon King, Alfred the Great, visited Rome and received a blessing from the Pope.

Pope Gregory the Great, on seeing blond-haired English people in Rome, made the joke, non Angli, sed Angeli.

In 1080, the Norman conqueror of the old Anglo Saxon Kingdom, King William, agreed that the Archbishop of Canterbury should have primacy over the Archbishop of York. However, there were always tensions between the Kings and the archbishops. Who was responsible for taking decisions about the Church in England?

In 1170, these tensions led to the murder of archbishop Thomas Becket in his own Cathedral by the Kings men. He was made a Saint and is worshipped across Europe.

So, Pilgrimage began, from Canterbury to Rome, and after the murder of Becket, there was Pilgrimage from Europe to Canterbury. And it continues…….”

Guide on EU funding for the tourism sector in the framework of the European policies 2014-2020.

As the third largest EU economic sector, tourism has a wide-ranging impact on economic growth, employment and social development. The European Commission is therefore constantly working on the development of new tools and services contributing to boost the competitiveness of the European tourism sector.

Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
Document attached.

Just a few words about Canterbury and the opportunities related to the promotion of the Via Francigena  with Mrs Jean Law, Deputy Leader, Canterbury City Council

Canterbury is a city with a rich past demonstrated by the many historic buildings in our centre and includes Canterbury Cathedral which has been there for over 1400 years and the medieval Westgate which has been in use since 1349 and is the largest surviving city gate in England. We are proud hosts of the zero stone that marks the beginning (or end depending upon where one starts!) of the Via Francigena. The vibrant present is exemplified by the construction of the new Marlowe theatre – a contemporary building that compliments the bold building projects of historic times. Canterbury’s promising future is reflected in the ongoing growth of the local economy – especially in the higher education sector. And over the next couple of years the city council will have invested more to improve and enhance the city’s public realm and facilities through the restoration and improvement of the riverside and the Westgate Garden Park. These attractions are valued by both our community and visitors alike.

The visitor economy is important to all of our municipal area and is supporting over 8,000 jobs. With nearly seven million visitors; tourism contributes more than £459m (565m euros) to the local economy each year. The city council is supporting and developing the visitor economy and tourism offer by improving the services and facilites for the community, visitors and businesses both financially and socially. And we are growing the visitor economy in a sustainable way.

We are promoting the area as an all year around destination – we are more than a place just for summer visits. We use the Canterbury brand to encourage visitors to explore all we have to offer throughout the year and throughout the area – our coast, countryside and city.

And so, the opportunity to participate in work to promote the Via Francigena route and the towns, heritage, culture and people along its way not only helps Canterbury grow its economy. It also promotes understanding and enrichment beyond our religious, societal and national differences. Telling history through the fascinating stories of Europe’s past is really one of the best ways of teaching history and of showing that Europe is indeed created from all its differences, from exchanges, from travel and “crossing paths“.