Bath Abbey
This is the Bath Abbey, also known as the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It is an Anglican Parish Church and a former Benedictine monastery. It was founded in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries.
The present Abbey church was founded in 1499, ruined after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 by order of the Henry VIII, was completed in 1611.
The abbey was quite an impressive sight. It towered over most of the city. You could climb the tower, but I didn't get the chance.
A major restoration was carried out in the 1860s, which included the installation of fan vaulting in the nave - a completion of the original design.
The inside was also quite magnificent. I love the stained glass, and how empty it was!
A very interesting part of the Abbey was the exterior. Each side of the front of the abbey has a ladder showing angels ascending into heaven. To me, some of them look creepy - like that girl from The Ring that crawls out of the television.
There were these huge wire rabbit sculptures out front - I'm not entirely sure what the point was, but again... I don't really 'get' most art. Heh.Up next we've got more of Bath!
1 comments:
Bath Abbey has without a doubt, amazing ceilings (not much in the line of gargoyles, though the outside carvings make up for it). Lovely old lady church volunteer that was quite informative and chatty when I visited, too. This abbey had beautiful marble memorials throughout the inside, all dated around Jane Austen's time.
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