St Augustine's Abbey or Ramsgate Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

. 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. In 2010, the monks moved to

St Augustine's Abbey St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent ...

Chilworth, Surrey Chilworth is a village in the Guildford borough of Surrey, England. It is located in the Tillingbourne valley, southeast of Guildford. Geography The village is in the Surrey Hills AONB, Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, AONB an ...

. 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 The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Southvarcensis'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in England. It is headed by the Archbishop of Southwark. The archdiocese is part of the Ecclesiastical ...

and is a shrine of

St Augustine of Canterbury Augustine of Canterbury (early 6th century – probably 26 May 604) was a monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.Delaney ''Di ...

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. In 1856, the Bishop of Southwark, Thomas Grant, invited the

Subiaco Cassinese Congregation The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Piet ...

of the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

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 Edward Welby Pugin (11 March 1834 – 5 June 1875) was an English architect, the eldest son of architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton and part of the Pugin & Pugin family of church architects. His father was an architect an ...

and Peter Paul Pugin. 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.Chilworth Benedictines
retrieved 25 February 2014 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 ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

Departure of the Monks

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

. When they moved in 2011, they named the friary

maintaining continuity between the abbey in Ramsgate and their new home. St Augustine's Church was returned to the care of the

. On 1 March 2012, the

Archbishop of Southwark The Archbishop of Southwark (''Br'' �sʌðɨk is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Southwark. The archdiocese has ...

, Peter Smith established the church as a Shrine to

. 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. 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.Divine UK
retrieved 26 February 2014

Gallery

File:St Augustine's Abbey by N Chadwick Geograph 3117091.jpg, View of the abbey

References

External links

Divine UK site

Shrine of St Augustine site

Ramsgate and Minster Parish site

Chilworth Abbey site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate Monasteries in Kent Benedictine monasteries in England Grade II listed buildings in Kent 1852 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches in Kent Gothic Revival church buildings in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1852 Gothic Revival architecture in Kent Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom

History

Departure of the Monks

Gallery

See also

References

External links