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Monument details
| HER Number: | TR 15 NE 1743 |
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| Type of record: | Building |
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| Name: | Church of St Michael, Burgate |
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Summary
The church of St Michael, Burgate was probably extant by 1200 and constructued over Burgate. It was probably rebuilt on the north side of Burgate street just west of the gate when the latter was rebuilt in 1475. The parish was united with that of St George in 1516 and the body of the church was apparently pullled down soon after.
| Grid Reference: | TR 1522 5774 |
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| Map Sheet: | TR15NE |
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| Parish: | CANTERBURY, CANTERBURY, KENT |
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Monument Types
- CHURCH (Medieval - 1200 AD? to 1516 AD?)
Full description
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Documentary evidence suggests that the earliest chapel, founded by 1200, dedicated to St. Michael, is believed to have been in a chamber above the old Roman City gateway of Burgate.
It was rebuilt as a church on the north side of Burgate Street, inside the walls and west of the gate when the Burgate was rebuilt in 1475. The gate by then was over three hundred years old.
The parish was united with St. George the Martyr in 1516 and the body of St. Michael's church was pulled down soon after. The tower of the church stood over the south side of Queningate Lane until the late 17th century (1684).
The parish church of St. Michael belonged to Canterbury Cathedral Priory, this is confirmed in a bull of Pope Alexander III (Pope 1159-1181). It served a tiny urban parish in the surrounding area which was densely packed with houses, many of which also belonged to Christ Church Priory.
The actual size of the church is not known, although Gardiner considers that the church was probably much the same size and plan as St. Mary's Queningate, and that it had no graveyard, but the parishioners were buried (as their wills indicate) at St. Augustine's.
Gardiner, D., 1935, St Michael's, Canterbury (Article in serial). SKE30271.
Urry, W., 1967, Canterbury under the Angevin Kings (Monograph). SKE28529.
Tatton-Brown, Tim., 1980, Canterbury Parish Churches (Unpublished document). SKE28328.
Elder, J. & Duncan, M., 2002, Canterbury City Wall Trail (Monograph). SKE29730.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | --- | Unpublished document: Tatton-Brown, Tim.. 1980. Canterbury Parish Churches. |
| --- | Monograph: Urry, W.. 1967. Canterbury under the Angevin Kings. |
| --- | Monograph: Elder, J. & Duncan, M.. 2002. Canterbury City Wall Trail. |
| --- | Article in serial: Gardiner, D.. 1935. St Michael's, Canterbury. |
