Page:The Saxon Cathedral at Canterbury and The Saxon Saints Buried Therein.djvu/33

DUROVERNUM. CANTWARABYRIG

It will be remembered that for about 150 years before St. Austin arrived in Britain, successive bodies of Saxons, Angles and Jutes had made descents into the country. Up to the first of these invasions, Christianity had been established in the Roman Province and elsewhere in the land; and it was only when the pagan invaders—after the Roman population had left—with fire and sword had driven the Celtic inhabitants to the western part of the Island, that Christianity had given way to Saxon heathendom. Christianity still flourished in Wales and Cornwall, and Ireland and the southern part of Scotland. In these latter countries it had mainly spread through the missionary efforts of St. Patrick and St. Ninian, but all these churches appear to have had a common origin in Gaul and to have used a liturgy based upon such common origin.

It is in that portion of Britain which had formed part of the Roman Province that remains of Romano-British churches must be looked for; outside that boundary the buildings would be those of the ancient Celtic Church, which had been established probably at the same time and by the same missionaries, who dwelt side by side and in full communion with one another. Of the remains of this early Church in the Roman Province in the South two buildings come before us; of one at Canterbury we have documentary evidence only, though it is of a very descriptive kind; the other, of which the foundations still exist and of which plans and drawings have been made, is at Silchester (Calleva) in Hampshire. Both were undoubtedly Christian Churches, built in the Roman manner, with a plan which exhibited a vestibule or narthex at the east, an aula or Nave with a western Apse, and side aisles ending at the west in a porticus on either side. We have no idea of the size of the Canterbury Church, but that of Silchester was only 42 feet in length. It is probable that the Canterbury Church was larger, and though in ruins when acquired by St. Austin, was better built; for it is implied in the extant account already mentioned, that 9