Battle Abbey UK
Rating: 8,2/10 (200 votes)  Battle Abbey is located not far from the town of Hastings in the English county of Sussex. Today it is dilapidated. This place is widely known thanks to the Battle of Hastings during the conquest of Britain by the Normans (hence the name of the abbey, which means"battle" in English).
After the end of this bloody battle in 1070, Pope Alexander II condemned the Normans for too great human sacrifices in the conquest of Britain and imposed penance on them for this. To make amends for the invaders, William the Conqueror decided to build an abbey on the site of the battle, and the altar of the main church was to be located exactly on the spot where King Harold died. William decided to dedicate the abbey to Saint Martin. Also, his idea was that this abbey should not be subordinate to the bishops, but should be equated in importance with Canterbury Abbey.
However, the king died before the construction was completed. The abbey, however, was completed and lasted until the period of active dissolution and closure of monasteries under Henry VIII. After that, the monks and the abbot were disbanded, received pensions, and the buildings were sold out or completely destroyed. Most of the abbey was privately owned for a long time by the Webster family.
Since 1976, Battle Abbey has been publicly owned. Today's tourists have the opportunity to contemplate only the outlines of the building of the former church, it was destroyed to the ground. But other buildings of the abbey of the XIII-XVI centuries have been preserved very well. There is a private school here, where you can get on an excursion only during vacation time. And nearby there is a monument to the very King Harold, who was killed in the battle.We also recommend reading Fountain Abbey in Great Britain Topic: Battle Abbey UK. |
