The '''Archbishop of Canterbury''' is "the [[primate]] of all England" within the Church of England and the spiritual head of the [[Anglican Communion]]. His see is at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England and his residence is Lambeth Palace in London. The current Archbishop of Canterbury is the Right Honorable and Most Reverend Rowan Williams, 104th successor to the Chair of St. [[Augustine of Canterbury]].

==The Current Archbishopcurrent archbishop==The current Archbishop of Canterbury is the Right Honorable and Most Reverend Justin Welby, 105th holder of the Chair of St. [[Augustine of Canterbury]].

==The previous archbishop==Rowan Douglas Williams was born in Wales on [[June 14]], 1950. He studied theology at Christ’s Christ's College of Cambridge University where he doctoral work on the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox]] Church and particularly the thought of [[Vladimir Lossky]]. For some years he was a professor of theology at Oxford University. In 1992 he was elevated to Anglican Bishop of Monmouth, and then in 2000 he was made Anglican Archbishop of Wales. In 2002 he was elevated to the throne of St. [[Augustine Archbishop of Canterbury|Augustine]]. A prolific writer, Dr. Williams has published books from which he retired in theology, spirituality, Christian history and poetry. Of particular interest to Orthodox Christians might be two books of meditations on [[iconography|icons]], entitled ''The Dwelling of the Light: Praying With Icons of Christ'' and ''Ponder These Things: Praying With Icons of the Virgin''2012.

In 596 Pope [[Gregory the Great]] decided to send a mission to the Anglo-Saxons in the British Isles. He chose a to send a group of [[Rule of St. Benedict|Benedictine ]] monks, under the leadership of St. [[Augustine of Canterbury]] (not to be confused with [[Augustine of Hippo]]). Augustine and his fellow monks arrived in Kent in 597 and eventually a see city was set up in Canterbury, Augustine being the first Archbishop. It is said that that when they arrived they were "carrying a silver cross and an image of Jesus Christ painted on a board, which thus became, so far as we know, 'Canterbury's first [[icon]].'" (''Lesser Feasts and Fasts'', p. 252)

==Archbishops of Canterbury Throughout Historythroughout history== 

 *597 1. St. [[Augustine of Canterbury|Augustine]], 597-605*604 2. St. [[Laurence of Canterbury]] (aka Laurentius), 605-619*3. St. [[Mellitus|Mellitus]], 619 Mellitus-624*4. St. [[Justus|Justus]], 624 Justus-627*5. St. [[Honorius of Canterbury]], 627 Honorius-653*6. St. [[Deusdedit of Canterbury]], 655 Deusdedit-664*668 7. St. [[Theodore of Tarsus]], 668-690*8. St. [[Berhtwald]], 693 Berhtwald-731*9. St. [[Tatwine]], 731 Tatwine-734*735 10. St. [[Nothelm]], 734-740*11. St. [[Cuthbert of Canterbury]], 740 Cuthbert-758*761 12. St. [[Bregowine]], 759-762*765 13. Jaenbert, 763-790*793 14. Ethelhard, 790-803*805 15. Wulfred, 803-829*832 16. Feologeld, 829-830*833 17. Ceolnoth, 830-870*870 18. Ethelred*805 Wulfred*832 Feologeld*833 Ceolnoth*of Canterbury, 870 Ethelred-889*890 19. Plegmund, 891-923*914 20. Athelm, 923-925*923 21. Wulfhelm, 928-941*942 22. St. [[Odaof Canterbury]], 941-958*23. Aelsine, 958-959 Brithelm*24. Brithelm, 959 Aelfsige*960 25. St. [[Dunstan of Canterbury|Dunstan]], 959-988*c26.Ethelgar, 988 Ethelgar-989*27. Sigeric, 990 Sigeric-994*28. Aelfric, 995 Aelfric-1005*1005 29. St. [[Alphege]], 1006-1-012*30. Lyfing, 1013 Lyfing-1020*31. Ethelnoth, 1020 Ethelnoth-1038*32. Eadsige, 1038 Eadsige-1050*1051 33. Robert of JumiegesJumièges, 1051-1052*34. Stigand, 1052 Stigand-1070

*1070 Lanfranc*1093 Anselm*1114 Ralph d'Escures*1123 William de Corbeil*1139 Theobald*1162 Thomas a Becket*1174 Richard of Dover*1184 Baldwin*1193 43. Hubert Walter, 1193-*1207 44. Stephen Langton, 1207-1228*1229 45. Richard le Grant, 1229-1231*1234 46. Edmund of Abingdon, 1233-1240*1245 47. Boniface of Savoy, 1245-1270*1273 48. Robert Kilwardby, 1273-1278*1279 49. John Peckham, 1279-1292*1294 50. Robert Winchelsey, 1293-1313*1313 51. Walter Reynolds, 1313-1327*1328 52. Simon Meopham, 1327-1333*1333 53. John de Stratford, 1333-1348*1349 54. Simon Islip, 1349*1349 55. Thomas Bradwardine, 1349*54. Simon Islip,1349-1366 *56. Simon Langham, 1366-1368*1368 57. William Whittlesey, 1368-1374*1375 58. Simon Sudbury, 1375-1381*1381 59. William Courtenay, 1381-1396*1396 60. Thomas Arundel, 1396-1398*1398 61. Roger Walden, 1398-*1399 60. Thomas Arundel (restored), 1399-*1414 62. Henry Chichele, 1414-1443*1443 63. John Stafford, 1443-1452*1452 64. John Kempe, 1452-1454*1454 65. Thomas Bourchier, 1454-1486*1486 66. John Morton, 1486-1500*1501 67. Henry Deane, 1501-1503*1503 68. William Warham, 1503-1532

*1533 Thomas Cranmer*1556 Reginald Pole*1559 Matthew Parker*1576 Edmund Grindal*1583 John Whitgift*1604 Richard Bancroft*1611 George Abbot*1633 William Laud*1660 William Juxon*1663 Gilbert Sheldon*1678 William Sancroft*1691 John Tillotson*1695 Thomas Tenison*1716 William Wake*1737 John Potter*1747 Thomas Herring*1757 Matthew Hutton*1758 Thomas Secker*1768 Frederick Cornwallis*1783 John Moore*1805 Charles Manners-Sutton*1828 William Howley*1848 John Bird Sumner*1862 Charles Thomas Longley*1868 Archibald Campbell Tait*1883 Edward White Benson*1896 Frederick Temple*1903 Randall Thomas Davidson*1928 William Cosmo Gordon Lang*1942 William Temple*1945 Geoffrey Francis Fisher*1961 Arthur Michael Ramsey*1974 Frederick Donald Coggan*1980 Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie*1991 George Leonard Carey*2002 Rowan Douglas Williams ==External Linkslink==

[[Category:Bishops|Canterbury]][[Category:Bishops of Canterbury|*]][[Category:Church History|Canterbury]][[Category:Non-Orthodox|Canterbury]]