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The Church of Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe stands as in a
garden, and is rich in beautiful memorials. In it lies the remains
of
King Ethelberts'
granddaughter. Originally enshrined in a monastic chapel in the
cliff top castle of her father,
King Eadbald
of Kent, they were moved shortly after her death, at the young age
of 26 in 640, to the church, to avoid the ravages of Viking raiders
and erosion by the sea. They survived the destruction of the town by
Earl Godwin in 1050, the destruction of the church by fire in 1217,
and the dissolution of the priory in 1535 and remained forgotten but
secure until 1885 when discovered in their twelfth century reliquary
during restoration of the church by the priest Matthew Woodward,
when a fitting shrine was set into the sanctuary wall. They lie
today behind the small oak door under the mosaic of St. Peter.
Eanswythe's Saint's Day is on 12th September.
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