St Martin’s Church

St Martin’s Church was Queen Bertha of Kent’s private chapel after King Æthelberht of Kent renovated a Roman building around 580 and when St Augustine arrived in Canterbury from Rome in 597, he made the church his base. It is believed that King Æthelberht was baptised here by St Augustine, shortly after he arrived in Canterbury.

St Augustine is also credited with enlarging the church and a lot of what you can see today is a result of St Augustine’s enlargement shortly after 597.

There is some debate about whether the building has Roman origins or was simply built in the Roman style in the 6th century, although it is generally agreed that the building was already existing when it was converted into a church in the late 7th century.

St Martin’s Church forms part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site along with Canterbury Cathedral and St Augustine’s Abbey.

What to see at St Martin’s Church

The church is a Grade I listed building that contains reused Roman bricks and walls of Roman tiles as well as sections that were added in the 7th and 8th centuries. The Perpendicular-style tower is a much later addition to the rest of the church.

The churchyard contains the graves of the artist Thomas Sidney Cooper, RA and the creator of Rupert Bear, Mary Tourtel.

Visiting St Martin’s Church

St Martin’s Church is around a 10-minute walk east of the city centre and, from here, it is only a five-minute walk to St Augustine’s Abbey.

The church is only open to visitors on Fridays and Saturdays.

If you enjoyed your visit to St Martin’s Church, you should also visit Canterbury Cathedral and St Augustine’s Abbey.