St Augustines Abbey, Canterbury - English Heritage - Cadw - Historic Scotland on Waymarking.com

From www.sacred-destinations.com/england/canterbury-st-augustine-abbey

Christianity had reached Britain in Roman times, but many pagans remained unconverted when the Roman legions departed in 410. According to legend, Pope Gregory I "the Great" (540-604) heard about the tribe called the Angles and thought such "angels" must be converted.

The facts are probably not quite as romantic - the pagan King Ethelbert of Kent had married a Frankish Christian princess named Bertha, and it was probably due to her influence that Pope Gregory sent missionaries to the area.

Assigned to the task of converting the Anglo-Saxons was the future St. Augustine of Canterbury, who was then an abbot in Rome. He set off with his party from Rome in May 595. However, he found the journey difficult and encountered opposition, and turned back in July. He asked to be released from his assignment, to which Pope Gregory replied in a letter:

"My dearly beloved sons, it would have been better not to have undertaken a noble task than to turn back deliberately from what you have begun, so it is right that you should carry out with all diligence this good work which you have begun with the help of the Lord. Therefore do not let the toilsome journey nor the tongues of evil speakers deter you..."

So that's a "no," then. Augustine obediently completed the journey, arriving in Kent in late 596 or early 597. The route can be retraced thanks to letters of Pope Gregory asking the assistance of bishops and rulers along the way. Augustine and his party, which included 40 monks and some Frankish priests to act as interpreters, sailed from Rome to southern France then traveled overland through Arles, Vienne, Lyon, Autun, and Tours before making the short journey across the English Channel.

St. Augustine baptized King Ethelbert by the end of 597 and founded an abbey to serve as his base in 598 AD. Originally dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, it became known as St. Augustine's Abbey after the founder's death and subsequent canonization. The abbey was the burial place of St. Augustine, subsequent abbots and archbishops, and the kings of Kent.

The Church of Sts Peter and Paul was begun during Augustine's lifetime but completed around 613 by his successor (who had accompanied him from Rome), Archbishop Laurence. Built from reused Roman bricks, it was a simple structure consisting of a nave, west porch or narthex, round east apse, and long side chapels on each side.

The Anglo-Saxon buildings were completely reconstructed in the Romanesque style following the Norman Conquest of England (1066), when it took on the form of a typical Norman Benedictine monastery. An Almonry was added in 1154 and some rebuilding was done in 1168 after a fire.

From about 1250 onwards the abbey was once again alive with building work. The cloister, lavatorium, frater and kitchen were totally rebuilt and a grand new abbot's lodging was built. The range was also extended to provide a great hall.

A new crenellated Great Gate was built in 1309 completing the Inner Court. On the north side the monks were able to take in much more land, which provided space for a new outer court with cellarer's range, brewhouse, bakehouse, and in 1320 a new walled vineyard. There was also expansion on the east side of the abbey where a series of lodgings were built along with a walled cellarer's garden.

An earthquake in 1382 led to more building work, and in 1390 the gatehouse that still survives was built. Last to be built was a Lady Chapel to the east of the church, which many large churches received in this period. By 1500 the abbey covered a very large area and its library contained in excess of 2,000 volumes. Many of these were produced by the monks in the abbey's own scriptorium.

The religious history of St Augustine's Abbey came to an end with King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. The abbey was valued in 1535 (it had a gross income of £1733) then dissolved on July 30, 1538. Its 30 monks were evicted and its treasures were dispersed.

King Henry did not sell the site, as he had plans in mind for it. He would convert it into a palace for the use of his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Work on this project began in December 1539, proceeded rapidly, and was ready in time for the arrival of the new queen.

Beginning in 1541, the attention of the king's workmen turned to the demolition of the abbey buildings. The materials, including blocks of Caen stone and medieval floor tiles, were sold for reuse. James Needham, Surveyor to the King's Works, recorded

"breaking up and taking down the stalls, seats and partitions and desks with all the framed timber and carved joined work in Our Lady Chapel, and in the great choir in St Austen's Church"

The palace ended up not being used much by the monarchy, and was leased to a succession of nobles. In the early 1600s was in the possession of Edward Lord Wotton, who employed John Tradescen, to lay out formal gardens around it. King Charles I visited with his wife Henrietta Maria during this period.

This palace is thought to have survived until a great storm in 1703, which caused great damage to the already ruinous structure of the abbey.

Property page on English Heritage website: [Web Link] I am an English Heritage Member: yes Property Address: Monastery Street, Canterbury, Kent - CT1 1PF Property maintained by:: English Heritage

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