For further information, Google "York's St. Mary's Abbey."
We love history! I know, we've said that many times before. So, it isn't news. But , being able to walk through areas of great historical value; to walk in the footsteps of folks that lived hundreds of years ago; is a great thrill for us. Therefore, we were overjoyed with the prospect of exploring the ruins of one of the richest medieval churches in northern England. At its height, St. Mary's Abbey covered an area of three football fields, and it was the largest landowner of its time. Population of the Abbey included 50 monks and 200 servants. The original church, dedicated to St. Olaf II of Norway, was built in 1055. Thirty-three years later (1088), it was refunded under the Benedictine Order and covered an extensive area outside the city walls of York. The Abbey church alone was 350 feet long and it's own walls were 3/4 mile in length. Early documents indicate that, during its most prolific times, the Abbey was worth over $2600 per year (that translates to over 1.6 million dollars per year in today's money). During the Reformation of Henry VIII, the Abbey was closed, its assets confiscated, and most of the buildings destroyed. Today, the ruins of the Abbey are an important part of the beautiful York Museum Gardens. For further information, Google "York's St. Mary's Abbey." The wall remnants of St. Mary's Abbey as viewed fro across a he York Museum's Gardens. Looking at the walls of the Abbey , through one of its entrances, provides a bit of perspective as to just how big the church itself was. Column remnants of some of the other buildings on the property can be seen in the foreground. Artist's rendition of what the Abbey and its grounds would have looked like during its heyday. The Hospitium Guest House of St. Mary's Abbey, reconstructed during the 16th century, is used today for weddings and special functions. Now part of the University of York, this would have been the Abbot's house back in medieval times. The monks of the Abbey were proficient at growing vegetables for eating and herbs for healing, here in the Edible Woods Garden next to the Abbey. The Abbey's cemetery is located next to the church itself.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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