The Abbey Church
The Abbey Church is a grade II* Listed building. Its construction began in 1857 and it was consecrated on 4 September 1860. It was built to the designs of Edward Welby Pugin, son of the great Augustus Welby Pugin. Built in the decorated, early English style, it demonstrated the resurgent optimism of the restored Catholic faith.
The exterior is in local pink sandstone, simple and unadorned, reminiscent of many classical monastic facades of the fourteenth century. The interior is faced with warm Bath stone. The church is dominated by four elegant, steeply pointed, arches which support the central tower. Originally this was the crossing, but now the altar stands here at the centre of the Church. The whole church was expensive for its time costing £45,000.
The church is noted for the quality of its sculpture and stained glass. Dedicated to St Michael and All Angels worshippers are surrounded by angels with harps, cymbals and pipes to accompany the monks and worshippers in their prayer. The finest stone angels are those in the nave, but the eye is drawn to the angel reredos in the east end of the church and fine Victorian glass showing the archangels Michael (the abbey's patron, sword and shield in hand, trampling the dragon), Raphael and Gabriel and the nine choirs of angels as an angelic orchestra sounding of praises of God.
Under a magnificent wooden roof stands the monastic choir, where the Community gathers five times a day for the Divine Office and Mass. Side altars are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Joseph, and a memorial altar commemorating the old boys of the school who lost their lives in the Second World War. The North Transept was formerly an elaborate chantry chapel dedicated to the Welsh Saints.
St Benedict's chapel, completed in 1875, is a colourful gem of its own showing the monastic founder in the central reredos. The chapel offers a history of monasticism in the west through the saints portrayed there.
Read more about this topic: Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire
Famous quotes containing the words abbey and/or church:
“The Abbey always reminds me of that old toast, “Above lofty timbers, the walls around are bare, echoing to our laughter, as though the dead were there.””
—Garrett Fort (1900–1945)
“Is it possible that I am not alone in believing that in the dispute between Galileo and the Church, the Church was right and the centre of man’s universe is the earth?”
—Stephen Vizinczey (b. 1933)