Glastonbury Abbey

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.

High Altar

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury Abbery

14 Comments CherryPie on Dec 19th 2016

14 Responses to “Glastonbury Abbey”

  1. ....peter:) says:

    this is a superb presentation of the ruins Cherie… thank you for including its history as well….peter:)

  2. Just came back from Chichester.
    Worth a visit.
    It’s a cathedral city.

  3. The Yum List says:

    What a beautifully preserved site.

  4. James Higham says:

    The Saxons, who had been converted to Christianity

    Or part-converted. Much of the old was retained clandestinely.

  5. Such an interesting post – would so love to visit this Abbey.

  6. Wendy says:

    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.

  7. Ayush says:

    what a stunning place. i like the scale of the ruins.