Early history
In the year 597, Saint Augustine arrived in England, having been sent by Pope Gregory I on what might nowadays be called a revival mission. The King of Kent at this time was Æthelberht, who happened to be married to a Christian, Bertha. Whether or not his spouse influenced him, he allowed Augustine to found a monastery just outside the walls of Canterbury to the east of the city. King Æthelberht ordered the church to be dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul and endowed it with a variety of gifts. William Thorne (chronicler), the late fourteenth-century chronicler of the Abbey, records 598 as the year of the foundation. Already standing on the site were three Saxon churches, dedicated respectively to Saints Pancras, Peter and Paul, and finally Mary. The Saxon-phase remains of the church of Saint Pancras are still extant. However, the other two churches were rebuilt by the Normans into one building. One of the main purposes of the abbey right from the outset was as a burial place for the Kings of Kent and the Archbishops of Canterbury.
In 978 a new larger building was dedicated by Archbishop Dunstan to Saints Peter, Paul and Augustine.
By 1100 all remains of the original Anglo Saxon building had disappeared under a massive romanesque edifice to which an Almonry was added in 1154. Apart from some rebuilding work in 1168, as a result of a fire, the rest of the 12th century passed fairly quietly at the abbey
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, brewery, bakery 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 meant more building work, and in 1390, the gatehouse that still survives was built. The last thing to be built was a Lady Chapel to the east of the church.
By 1500, the abbey covered a very large area, and its library contained in excess of 2000 volumes, a staggering number for the time. Many of these would have been produced in the abbey's own scriptorium.
In 1535, Henry VIII dissolved all monasteries found to have an annual income less than £100. It survived this first round of closures as its income was found to be £1733. But on July 30, 1538, the abbey's fate was sealed when it fell to the dissolution of Henry VIII. The abbey was systematically dismantled over the next fifteen years, although part of the site was converted to a palace ready for the arrival of Anne of Cleves from Germany.
This palace was leased to a succession of nobles, and in the early 17th century was in the possession of Edward Lord Wotton who employed John Tradescant the elder to lay out formal gardens around it. This palace is thought to have survived until a great storm in 1703, which certainly caused great damage to the already ruinous structure of the abbey.
Now a World Heritage Site, the ruins of this important monastic foundation built by Saint Augustine are in the care of English Heritage.
Today the ruin precincts cover a substantial area east of the cathedral. In fact, in its heyday, the abbey's church rivalled nearby Canterbury Cathedral in size.
Adapted from Wikipedia®
Loading contexts...
