Bath Abbey
Founded
Notes
It subsequently passed to the Benedictines, and was reformed by Saint Dunstan of Canterbury. King Edgar was crowned in the abbey church, 973. Saint Alphege the Bald was abbot for a time. In 1088 William Rufus granted the abbey and lands to John of Villula, Bishop of Wells, who later restored the lands to the abbey. Destroyed by fire in 1137, it was later rebuilt. In the 13th century a dispute arose between the monks and the canons of Wells as to their respective rights in electing the bishop. By a decree of Pope Innocent IV the election was held alternately in either city, the bishop had a throne in both churches, and was thenceforth styled Bishop of Bath and Wells. The monastery was suppressed in 1539, and the present church occupies only the nave of the Norman structure begun in 1500 to replace John of Villula’s church. It was restored in 1874.
Profiled Monks and Nuns
MLA Citation
- “Bath Abbey”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 January 2020. Web. 2 May 2024. <>