This mid-14th-century mural of St Thomas Becket ⓘ survives on a south nave pillar at St Albans Cathedral, one of the most important centres of Becket devotion in medieval England. Though now heavily worn, the figure remains legible enough to convey both identity and meaning through gesture and attribute.

Becket is shown standing frontally, his right hand raised in blessing, a conventional sign of episcopal authority and pastoral role. In his left hand he holds the bishop’s staff, identifying him unambiguously as archbishop rather than as martyr alone. The emphasis here is on Becket as bishop and intercessor, not on the violence of his death. No instruments of martyrdom are present, and there is no narrative setting; instead, the image functions as a devotional presence within the architectural fabric of the church.

The mural’s placement on a nave pillar is significant. Such positions allowed images of popular saints to address the laity directly, integrating devotion into the everyday movement of the church rather than confining it to side chapels or altars. At St Albans—an abbey with close royal connections and strong national identity—Becket’s image would have resonated powerfully as a symbol of ecclesiastical independence and moral authority.

Stylistically, the painting belongs to the English Gothic mural tradition of the mid-14th century, characterised by linear drawing, restrained modelling, and a limited palette dominated by red and earth tones. Its weathered condition is typical of wall paintings that survived the Reformation only through neglect or overpainting, making it a rare witness to the once widespread visual cult of England’s most famous martyr.

As part of the wider Becket iconographic tradition, the mural aligns with images that present him as a calm, blessing prelate—an image of sanctified authority—rather than focusing on the dramatic circumstances of his murder in Canterbury Cathedral.