Glastonbury Abbey was founded in the 7th century and expanded by St. Dunstan, the Abbot of Glastonbury in the 10th century and by 1086, it was the richest monastery in England. Of special interest is the legend connecting the site of the abbey to the burial place of King Arthur as well as Joseph of Arimathea. As I had been fascinated by the legend, my sister decided to make a stop at the abbey on our way back from Wells.
According to the exhibition at the abbey museum, there was an old church made of mud and wood on the site, the origin of which is not clear but there are various legends surrounding it. However, the fire of 1184 destroyed any traces of this old church and the Lady chapel was consecrated on its site in 1186.
When the medieval St. Joseph’s crypt was constructed under the Lady chapel, it became a popular destination for pilgrims. The crypt was rededicated in 2015 by the Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On the side of Lady chapel is a marker of a grave. While there are many stories connected to this grave, a popular story that is mentioned on the abbey’s website is that monks needing to raise funds to rebuild the abbey after the fire, dug up this grave in 1191 searching for the bones of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.
They were then re-buried in a black marble tomb in the then newly constructed abbey church in 1278.
The ruins of the Great church, though not having survived to the extent of Lady chapel, are also quite majestic.
The best preserved section of the abbey is the Abbot’s kitchen, which was built in the 1300s, and was used to provide meals for the abbot and his guests.
Facing the kitchen was the ruins of the refectory, marked as the monastic ruins on the abbey map.
The abbey grounds cover 36 acres of parkland. I was not up to walking around the entire parkland but I did stop and pause by some lovely benches to rest and observe the ruins.
Another site of interest to the visitor to Glastonbury would be the Glastonbury Tor. Having walked a lot that day, my sister was concerned that I would find it too much to climb and with the clouds opening up as I finished my visit to the abbey, we decided to turn away with a brief glimpse of the Tor, from a distance.
Disclaimer: The Bath Tourism Office kindly gave me a complimentary media pass to Bath and regional attractions, during my November 2016 visit to south west England, for the purpose of this post. This pass allowed me free entry to Glastonbury Abbey. All opinions are my own and I only recommend experiences I have enjoyed.
[Linked this post to The Weekly Postcard and Weekend Travel Inspiration]
Perspectives Quilt 
I love reading about legends associated with ruens. It always makes travel a little more exciting 🙂
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It does, doesn’t it? Thanks for stopping by, Ellie!
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This reminds me of St. Mary’s Abbey in York. It really is amazing to think about how amazing the abbey was back when it was built all those years ago. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
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Haven’t visited York yet but it is a place that is on my places to visit in England. It is indeed fascinating to try and imagine how the abbey would have been back then, especially in its heydays.
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Legends always add some spice to the travel. People usually enjoy a place more if there is a good story tied to it. I can only imagine how beautiful Glastonbury Abbey must have looked in its days of glory. #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Glastonbury Abbey sure does have atmosphere and lots of legends to interest everyone 🙂
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The connection with King Arthur makes Glastonbury Abbey so fascinating. I remember finding it hard to tear myself away on the day we visited.
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Me too. I had agreed with my sister that I would meet her at the car park in two hours but I found myself wanting to spend more time at the abbey.
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Hello Ahila. I’m new to your site from #theweeklypostcard, but I’m so glad I’m here. I love your pictures and the fascinating history to go with it. I am a homeschooling mom who struggles to teach math or science because I only want to do history!! We’ve just completed the medieval period with my fourth grader so I”m excited to show him this post! Great legend. Thanks for sharing with us. I’ll definitely be back!
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Thank you for your lovely comment and I am delighted that you will share my post with your child.
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This is such a lovely place. I am fascinated by stories and legends too. Therefore, it would be nice to stop by and hear some knight, king and monk stories. #wkendtravelinspiration
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I am sure you would love the abbey and all the stories associated with it, Ruth 🙂
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I remember seeing some ruins in England one of my first times as a kid! I’d love to see some others! It is amazing how beautiful ruins can be! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Ruins have a certain atmosphere about them, that lights up one’s imagination, don’t they?
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I visited many abbeys in Britain but I missed going to this one. I wonder if King Arthur is buried here. Is that why the bones that they dug up were re-buried in an expensive black marble tomb?
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According to the plaque at the site and the Abbey museum displays, the bones that the monks dug up was that of King Arthur and his queen.
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Oh, now I’m very sorry to have missed this when we were in Bath. I would love to do a tour of Arthurian sites, and Glastonbury looks lovely in its own right, too. #WkendTravelInspiration
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There is always next time 🙂 Hope you visit it soon, Michele. It is a special place.
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As a huge King Arthur fan in my younger days, Glastonbury has long been on the Bucket List! And so, I very much enjoyed this post. 🙂 Cannot wait to roam the ruins in person! Thanks for the great photos, and for linking up on #TheWeeklyPostcard!
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Glad to hear that you enjoyed the post and hope you visit Glastonbury abbey and Tor soon!
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Glastonbury is one place I want to make sure I see when we get to UK (hopefully next year), your photos have made me even keener to get here and knowing hubby has a keen interest in King Arthur he’ll not want to miss it either.
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Hope both of you visit Glastonbury Abbey soon then!
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