St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate
51°19′43″N 1°24′37″E / 51.328644°N 1.410229°E / 51.328644; 1.410229
St Augustine's Abbey or Ramsgate Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Ramsgate.[1] It was built in 1860 by Augustus Pugin and is a Grade II listed building. It was the first Benedictine monastery to be built in England since the Reformation.[2] In 2010, the monks moved to St Augustine's Abbey in Chilworth, Surrey. The site is now owned by the Vincentian Congregation from Kerala, India. The church of St Augustine, across the road from the abbey site, belongs to the Archdiocese of Southwark and is a shrine of St Augustine of Canterbury.
History
Augustus Pugin had built his home, The Grange, in Ramsgate, and St Augustine's Church next door. He donated the church to the Catholic Diocese of Southwark before his death in 1852, and The Grange remained in private hands.[3]
In 1856, the Bishop of Southwark, Thomas Grant, invited the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation of the Benedictines to form a monastic community in Kent and take over the running of the church. The abbey was built across the road from the church and this was designed by Edward Pugin and Peter Paul Pugin.[3]
The monastery became independent in 1876, a priory in 1881 and was raised to the status of an abbey by Pope Leo XIII in 1896. In 1865, a school was established by the monks which lasted until 1995.[3]
In 1936, in nearby Minster-in-Thanet, a group of Benedictine nuns arrived and set up a priory on the remains of a 7th-century abbey and named it St Mildred's Abbey.
Departure of the Monks
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Coat_of_arms_of_Paulinus_Greenwood.svg/170px-Coat_of_arms_of_Paulinus_Greenwood.svg.png)
On 15 October 2009, it was decided by the monks to relocate to a smaller property which would be easier to maintain. On 23 December 2010, they agreed to move to a former Franciscan friary in Chilworth, Surrey. When they moved in 2011, they named the friary St Augustine's Abbey maintaining continuity between the abbey in Ramsgate and their new home.[4]
St Augustine's Church was returned to the care of the Archdiocese of Southwark. On 1 March 2012, the Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith established the church as a Shrine to St Augustine of Canterbury. On 20 May 2012, the church was inaugurated as a shrine at Solemn Vespers and a relic of St Augustine, donated by the Oxford Oratory, was placed in the church.[5]
The abbey was sold by the monks to the Vincentian Congregation in 2014. It is now Divine Retreat Centre UK, and hosts charismatic Catholic retreats.[6]
Gallery
- View of the abbey
Published works
- St. Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate (1921). The Book of saints : a dictionary of servants of God canonized by the Catholic Church. London: A. & C. Black, ltd. OCLC 671676136.
See also
- The Grange, Ramsgate
- St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth
- St Mildred's Abbey, Minster
- Subiaco Cassinese Congregation
References
- ^ "Ramsgate treasures saved for church". Catholic Herald. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ Benedictines to sell church treasures worth £100,000 from Catholic Herald retrieved 25 February 2014
- ^ a b c Chilworth Benedictines retrieved 25 February 2014
- ^ Ramsgate Benedictines move to Chilworth from Independent Catholic News retrieved 25 February 2014
- ^ Augustine Shrine retrieved 25 February 2014
- ^ Divine UK retrieved 26 February 2014
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Divine UK site
- Shrine of St Augustine site
- Ramsgate and Minster Parish site
- Chilworth Abbey site
- v
- t
- e
- Archbishops and bishops of Southwark
- I: Thomas Grant
- II: James Danell
- III: Robert Coffin
- IV: John Butt
- V: Francis Bourne
- VI: Peter Amigo
- VII: Cyril Cowderoy
- VIII: Michael Bowen
- IX: Kevin McDonald (Bishop Emeritus)
- X: Peter Smith
- XI: John Wilson
- Auxiliary bishops in Southwark:
- Charles Henderson
- Paul Hendricks
- John Hine
- John Jukes
- Patrick Lynch
- Howard Tripp
- Philip Moger
![Coat of arms of Archbishop Peter Smith](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Coat_of_arms_of_Peter_David_Smith.svg/100px-Coat_of_arms_of_Peter_David_Smith.svg.png)
- Churches
- St George's Cathedral, Southwark - Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George
- Sacred Heart Church, Battersea
- Corpus Christi Church, Brixton
- St Osmund's Church, Barnes
- Sacred Heart Church, Camberwell
- St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Canterbury
- St Michael the Archangel Church, Chatham
- St Paul's Church, Dover
- St Thomas More Church, Dulwich
- Our Lady of Loreto and St Winefride's Church, Kew
- St Agatha's Church, Kingston
- St Mary Magdalen Church, Mortlake
- Our Lady of the Angels Church, Erith
- Our Lady of Gillingham Church
- Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Richmond
- Polish Church of St. John the Evangelist, Putney
- St Augustine's Church, Ramsgate
- St Ethelbert's Church, Ramsgate
- St Elizabeth of Portugal Church, Richmond
- St Joseph Church, Roehampton
- St Mary's Church, Clapham
- St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham
- Sts Simon and Jude Church, Streatham Hill
- St Raphael's Church, Surbiton
- St Anne's Church, Vauxhall
- St Patrick's Church, Waterloo
- Christ the King Church, Wimbledon Park
- St Winefride Church, South Wimbledon
- Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon
- St Peter's Church, Woolwich
- Patronal Feasts of the Diocese
- St Augustine of Canterbury (27 May)
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (8 December)
- St Thomas of Canterbury (29 December)
- Schools
- Bishop Challoner School
- Bishop Thomas Grant School
- Bonus Pastor Catholic College
- The Cedars School
- Christ the King Sixth Form College
- Coloma Convent Girls' School
- Donhead Preparatory School
- Holy Cross School, New Malden
- Holy Cross Preparatory School
- The John Fisher School
- La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School
- The Laurels School
- Marymount International School London
- Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls' School
- Richard Challoner School
- Sacred Heart Catholic School, Camberwell
- St Anselm's Catholic School
- St Catherine's Catholic School for Girls
- St Columba's Catholic Boys' School
- St Edmund's Catholic School, Dover
- St Francis Xavier College, Clapham
- St Gregory's Catholic School
- St John Bosco College, Battersea
- St John Fisher Catholic School
- St John's Catholic Comprehensive School
- St Joseph's College, Upper Norwood
- St Mary's Roman Catholic High School, Croydon
- St Matthew Academy
- St Michael's Catholic College
- St Paul's Academy, Abbey Wood
- St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls
- St Simon Stock Catholic School
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Eltham
- St Thomas the Apostle College
- St Ursula's Convent School
- Thomas More Catholic School, Purley
- Ursuline College, Westgate-on-Sea
- Ursuline High School, Wimbledon
- Wimbledon College
- See also:
- National Shrine of Saint Jude
- Aylesford Priory
- St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate
- Minster in Thanet Priory
- St Mary's Church, Nettlestead
- St Anselm's Church, Pembury
- Church of the Most Precious Blood, Southwark
- Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain
- Apostolic Vicariate of the London District
Catholicism portal
London portal
Kent portal