St Ethelbert was the first Christian king of Kent who received St Augustine and his monks on their arrival in Britain. He allowed the arrivals to preach the Gospel and after some delay the king and his people accepted Christ and were baptised en masse, though it has to be said this was not all of them. He gave ground for building the first Abbey outside the city walls dedicated to Sts Peter and Paul and also, within the walls, the church that was to become Canterbury Cathedral.
