Chair of St Augustine
The Chair of St Augustine or Cathedra Augustini is the ceremonial enthronement cathedra chair of the archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral, Kent.
History
The chair is made of Petworth marble and named after the first archbishop of Canterbury, St Augustine of Canterbury, though was made six centuries after Augustine's death. The current chair was produced between 1201 and 1204, as documented in the cathedral's accounts. It replaced an earlier chair that was destroyed by a fire in 1174. It has been speculated that the base of the current chair might contain fragments of the original chair. It was formerly located in the shrine of St Thomas Becket, which was destroyed during the English Reformation.The previous chair is mentioned in the descriptions of the Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque cathedral buildings given by Eadmer and Gervase of Canterbury. Eadmer described "the pontifical chair, constructed with handsome workmanship and of large stones and cement"; it stood in the western apse behind the altar of St Mary but perished in the fire of 1067.
The current chair has been used for centuries in the triple enthronement of an archbishop of Canterbury. They are ceremonially seated on three thrones in different locations within the cathedral: in the choir to denote their role as diocesan bishop; in the chapter house as titular abbot of St Augustine's Abbey; and in St. Augustine's chair as Primate of All England.
The chair is only used during the enthronement ceremony and the Lambeth Conference. On all other occasions, the archbishop sits on the throne in the choir.