Glastonbury, The Abbey, The Transept Arches 1912

Photo ref: 64486

More about this scene

GLASTONBURY, with its mysterious and atmospheric tor, is still a place of legends. Besides connections with Arthur, there is a story that Joseph of Arimathea, in whose tomb Jesus was buried, came here as a trader and brought the Glastonbury Thorn. It is now thought that this legend was concocted around the 13th century by the monks of Glastonbury Abbey. The most influential individual in the early development of the abbey was Dunstan, born nearby at Baltonsborough and abbot from 940 to 956. He extended the buildings and reformed the monks' lifestyle with the introduction of the rule of St Benedict. In 1184 fire destroyed most of the building, and almost the whole complex had to be rebuilt. The date of rebuilding is usually given as 1186, although in reality it must have been spread over several years. The abbey, and its abbots, grew increasingly wealthy over the centuries, and Glastonbury was one of the main targets of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s. Thereafter much of the stonework of the abandoned abbey was robbed for re-use elsewhere. In 1907 the site was bought on behalf of the Church of England. In 64486 we are looking from the north along the line of the walls. The Chapel of St Thomas the Martyr (better known as Thomas à Becket) is at the end, through an archway to the left.