Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury Abbey is considered one of the most important and famous monasteries from early British Isles history. It was founded in late seventh century in what is now the county of Somerset. A monastery is a place where monks live, but Glastonbury Abbey was much more than that. It existed as a meeting place for numerous cultures throughout the surrounding lands including British, Irish and Normans. 

Since it was a place for all different people to meet, it meant that Glastonbury also acted as a meeting place for great discussion in all forms of culture and society including literary discussion. Many famous writers at the time such as Henry of Huntingdon. Caradoc of Lancarvan and Geoffrey of Monmouth were thought to go to Glastonbury during the time they were trying to create a complete history of England. The abbey also had a documented relationship with King Arthur and would hold events in his name which proves that Glastonbury Abbey  was more than just a religious space, but also focused on secular aspects of the culture to include society in all avenues of its citizens lives. 

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Glastonbury Abbey has written history dating back to its origins around the seventh century. This was pre Norman conquest and also around the time literary works such as Gildas’s poem “The Ruin” was written. Though these super early texts from the Abbey didn’t survive, sometime around 1539 a book collector named John Leland came to Glastonbury and found the ancient library and documented his excitement having found such archaic texts. However, soon after his visit, a violent battle came to the land and Glastonbury was one of the monasteries to fall leaving only very scarce remains today. Some of the other works that were eventually found to come from Glastonbury were different selections written by St Guthlac and other famous writers from the time. 

What little stands of Glastonbury Abbey today has been excavated numerous times. One of the most important excavations was done by Raleigh Radford in 1951. During his dig, Radford found some of the earliest and most extensive examples of medieval glass working in the history of the United Kingdom. After more extensive excavations, the glassmaking at Glastonbury is thought to have been done with the use of four furnaces located in one of the cloisters within the Abbey. The furnaces would act as a tool to melt the glass and later help to form it into the intricate pieces often found in stain glass art. 

In conclusion, Glastonbury Abbey held a lot of significance to the people of England and surrounding regions during the seventh centuries and beyond. Its role as a cultural and intellectual meeting place can be supported by evidence in literature and history. It also had relevance in art by the findings of the tools and supposed methods of making stained glass windows. All in all, in its roots, Glastonbury Abbey was a religious space of worship but also a secular space to accommodate all aspects of its surrounding culture.