Cathedrals · South West England
Sherborne Abbey
Sherborne Abbey, otherwise the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church in Sherborne in the English county of Dorset. It was formerly a Saxon Catholic cathedral (705–1075) an
Rob Farrow — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Best time of year
- Year-round
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Sherborne Abbey, otherwise the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church in Sherborne in the English county of Dorset. It was formerly a Saxon Catholic cathedral (705–1075) and a Benedictine abbey church (998–1539), before becoming a Church of England parish church in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries. In England's Thousand Best Churches (1999) by Simon Jenkins, it is one of only 18 churches given a five-star rating.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Sherborne Abbey, otherwise the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church in Sherborne in the English county of Dorset. It was formerly a Saxon Catholic cathedral (705–1075) and a Benedictine abbey church (998–1539), before becoming a Church of England parish church in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries. In England's Thousand Best Churches (1999) by Simon Jenkins, it is one of only 18 churches given a five-star rating.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
This site has been occupied since Roman times. During the restoration of 1849–58, excavations were carried out in which part of a Roman mosaic pavement was found deep beneath the floor, as well as evidence that the Saxon cathedral of AD 705 had been built on the site of a previous church. It is possible that there was a Celtic Christian church called Lanprobi here as early as AD 658, when it was part of the Celtic kingdom of Dumnonia, and Kenwalc or Cenwalh, King of the West Saxons, is believed to be one of its founders. However, it is probable that this church was actually on the site of modern-day Castleton Church.
Architecture
The abbey is a Grade I listed building. It has several distinct architectural styles throughout. Like much of Sherborne's historic centre, it is built of honey-brown hamstone.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 50.9467, -2.5167
- District
- Dorset
- Parish
- Sherborne
- Postcode
- DT9 3BP
- Parliamentary constituency
- West Dorset
- Phone
- +44 1935 812252
- Established
- 705
- Opening
- Apr-Dec Tu-Sa 10:30-16:30
- Official site
- www.sherborneabbey.com
Sources
- wikipedia: Sherborne Abbey (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Sherborne Abbey?
- Sherborne Abbey is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode DT9 3BP), in the parish of Sherborne.
- When was Sherborne Abbey built?
- Built or established in 705.
- Is Sherborne Abbey free to visit?
- Yes, Sherborne Abbey is free to enter.
- How do I get to Sherborne Abbey?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode DT9 3BP. It sits within the West Dorset parliamentary constituency.