The Saxons, who had been converted to Christianity, conquered the ancient county of Somerset in the 7th Century. Their King was Ine of Wessex, who was widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the abbey. He was a local man who boosted the status and income of the abbey, and it is said that he put up a stone church, the base of which forms the west end of the nave.
This church was enlarged in the 10th century by the Abbot of Glastonbury, St. Dunstan, who became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 960.
In 1066, the wealth of the abbey could not cushion the Saxon monks from the disruption caused by the foreign invasion and subsequent conquest of England by the Normans.
Skilled Norman craftspeople contributed much to the abbey by adding magnificent buildings to the existing Saxon Church. These were built to the east of the older church and away from the ancient cemetery.
The Norman betterment of the abbey was extensive. In 1086, when the Domesday Book was commissioned to provide records and a census of life in England, Glastonbury Abbey was the richest monastery in the country.
The great Norman structures were consumed by fire in 1184 when many of the ancient treasures were destroyed.
this is a superb presentation of the ruins Cherie… thank you for including its history as well….peter:)
Tomorrow I will post about the cross seen in the last picture.
Just came back from Chichester.
Worth a visit.
It’s a cathedral city.
That is a strange coincidence… I am investigation a potential holiday in Chichester next year…
Looking forward to seeing your photographs
What a beautifully preserved site.
I am trying to imagine how big it was when it was still in tact
The Saxons, who had been converted to Christianity
Or part-converted. Much of the old was retained clandestinely.
By some perhaps.
Such an interesting post – would so love to visit this Abbey.
Glastonbury Abbey is well worth a visit
The town of Glastonbury is a somewhat different experience and we decided not to linger there.
It’s such a fascinating place and your photos are lovely. I haven’t been there for a long time and did enjoy reading about it again.
I would love to go back and explore it again
what a stunning place. i like the scale of the ruins.
The original buildings must have been huge!