Chester Cathedral (in Chester, England) began its life as a Benedictine Abbey in 1093. The site had previously been used as a place of worship during Saxon times, but the Benedictine monks were the first to build a church there in the Norman style. This Norman influence can still be seen in the north transept, the north tower and parts of the cloister. The cathedral was rebuilt from 1250 onwards in the much more dramatic Gothic style.
Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Cathedral is many things to many people: a vibrant community of worship, an ancient abbey, an archaeological treasure, a cultural hub, a center of musical excellence, a unique blend of modern and medieval history.
The ruins in the York Museum Gardens are all that remains of one of the wealthiest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. First built in 1088, the abbey estate occupied the entire site of the Museum Gardens and the abbot was one of the most powerful clergymen of his day, on a par with the Archbishop of York. The stone walls that surrounded the abbey were built in the 1260s and they remain the most complete set of abbey walls in the country.
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The township of Hawkshead was originally owned by the monks of Furness Abbey. Hawkshead grew to be an important wool market in medieval times and later as a market town after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1532. It was granted its first market charter by King James I in 1608.
St Michaels and All Angels Parish Church and Cemetery overlooks the town of Hawkshead.
Church Overlooking Hawkshead
A stone window in the Abbot’s House at Muchelney Abbey, Somerset, England
A Window from the Past
Founded in 7th or 8th century, Muchelney Abbey is a landmark in Somerset. It was once a wealthy Benedictine house and the second oldest religious foundation in Somerset, but as part of the dissolution the abbey’s principal buildings were demolished by Henry VIII in 1538. The Abbey was the second largest in Somerset after Glastonbury, England.
Muchelney Abbey
The only intact structure is the Abbot’s House with well-preserved architectural features including external stonework and inside a great chamber with ornate fireplace, carved settle and stained glass, and timber roof.
Muchelney Abbey Abbott’s House
Bath Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, it was re-organised in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries.
Rising Above the Crowds