abbey churches

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  • Peterborough Cathedral Peterborough, England 1118-1238

    Originally an abbey church, Peterborough Cathedral is a Norman and Gothic building featuring an unusual triple facade, a rare medieval painted ceiling, magnificent fan vaulting, and the tomb of Catherine of Aragon.

  • Melrose Abbey Melrose, Scotland 1136-46

    This Cistercian abbey south of Edinburgh was founded in 1136 and is now in picturesque ruins. It is said to enshrine the heart of Robert the Bruce.

  • Selby Abbey Selby, England 1069

    According to tradition, Selby Abbey was the earliest Benedictine monastery in the north of England, founded in 1069. Today it is a Grade-I listed parish church featuring Norman and Decorated Gothic architecture and 14C stained glass.

  • Dorchester Abbey Dorchester-on-Thames, England 12th-14th cents.

    Now an Anglican parish church, Dorchester Abbey was originally a cathedral founded by St. Birinus (in 635 CE) and later became an Augustinian abbey.

  • Abbey Church Fontevraud l'Abbaye, France
  • Casamari Abbey Italy

    This active Cistercian monastery southeast of Rome dates from the 13th century. Its austere church has delicate columns, vaulted ceilings, small stained-glass windows and a lovely cloister.

  • Fossanova Abbey 1163-1208

    Begun in 1163, Fossanova is considered a magnificent example of Cistercian architecture, reflecting that of Clairvaux.

  • St-Denis Paris, France

    The imposing Basilique St-Denis is notable for its early Gothic architecture and its history as a burial site of French monarchs.

  • Panthéon Paris, France 1758-90

    This Neoclassical church was originally part of an abbey dedicated to St. Genevieve, but since the 18th century it has served primarily as a burial place for French heroes.

  • Senanque Abbey Gordes, France

    Founded in 1148, the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque is a lovely Cistercian abbey and one of the best places to see Provence's famed lavender fields. Its austere and harmonious Romanesque church was completed in 1178.

  • Vézelay Basilica Vézelay, France

    Famed for its Romanesque sculpture, the 12th-century basilica of Vezelay Abbey is the largest Romanesque church in France. It attracted many medieval pilgrims thanks to its relics of Mary Magdalene.

  • Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire Abbey Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, France

    This attractive and important Romanesque church on the Loire River has been a major place of pilgrimage since 673, when the relics of St. Benedict were brought here from Montecassino.

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