Tuesday, March 26, 2019

St. Augustine's Abbey


St. Augustine's Abbey is a ruined Benedictine monastery founded in 598, considered by many to be the birthplace of Christianity in England. The year prior, the Roman missionary Augustine was commissioned by Pope Gregory I to proselytize in Britain. He headed straight to Canterbury, the main town of the Anglo-Saxon king Ethelbert, who was a pagan--Ethelbert's wife Bertha, however, was a Christian. After meeting with Augustine, Ethelbert converted, granting Augustine a pagan temple and surrounding lands to build a church; this church became St. Augustine's Abbey, and flourished until the Dissolution of the Monasteries saw it demolished in 1538. 


Tyler and I visited the Abbey on a cool, quiet morning. Even though it's located in the heart of Canterbury, within walking distance of the current cathedral, there was a stillness inside the ruins that made it feel very remote. There's a lot that I love about England, but I love the history most of all, and it's fascinating to me to think of the "what ifs" of history. What if Augustine had never come to Britain, and this place never existed? Would Christianity have found its way regardless, or would Britain remained pagan? And if it remained pagan, would Protestantism have taken hold elsewhere--or not at all? Would it have made its way to the United States? Having been raised in the Christian Church, it's strange to think of how differently my upbringing could have looked if a single event in history had been altered. Given that Tyler and I also met through church in a roundabout way--would we have ever even met if not for Augustine? Lots of rather heavy thoughts for an early morning monastery walk, but it's hard not to be pensive walking through the beautiful abbey ruins.  

If you're ever in Canterbury and the least bit interested in English history, or religious history, St. Augustine's Abbey should definitely be on your list. 

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi! Be sure to check the notification box to see any replies. :)

Blog Design by Get Polished