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Downside Abbey Church |
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Downside Abbey Church |
DOWNSIDE Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Somerset, about twelve miles southwest of Bath. It was founded in 1814 by Benedictine monks who had returned to England following the ravages of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. The community of St. Gregory's, Douai, Flanders had been living in exile since 1606, following the persecution and expulsion from England of religious communities during the Reformation. On their return to England they established a boarding middle/secondary school, and currently also offer retreats and conferences.
PRAYING with the monastic community at Downside is a very rich and beautiful experience. The abbey church deliberately echoes the golden age of Benedictine monasticism, both Cluniac and Cistercian, and enables one to sense the meaning of pilgrimage and praying at a shrine. Mass and the Divine Office are in a mixture of Latin and English that makes the liturgy accessible to all, while preserving the best of the tradition of Gregorian chant.
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ABBEY CHURCH (Basilica) |
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ABBEY CHURCH: NAVE (Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, completed 1925) |
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ABBEY CHURCH: NAVE, ALTAR and CHOIR |
THE choir was completed in 1905. The present choir stalls were installed in 1932 and shifted in location when the sanctuary was remodelled
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ABBEY CHURCH :MONASTIC CHOIR (choir stalls based on those of Chester Cathedral) |
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ABBEY CHURCH: EAST WINDOW (above choir) |
NAVE STATUE |
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STATUE of the BLESSED VIRGIN |
STATUE of the BLESSED VIRGIN |
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MONASTIC CLOISTER |
MONASTIC CLOISTER |
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STUDENT REFECTORY (reclaimed by monks during holidays) |
REFECTORY CHRISTMAS TREE |
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REFECTORY FIREPLACE (Saints Benedict and Scholastica, flanking) |
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TOWER and CLOISTER |
CLOISTER and SCHOOL |
This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 2014
