About
Founded in 597 AD by St Augustine himself — the monk sent from Rome by Pope Gregory the Great to re-Christianise the pagan Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England — St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury is one of the most historically significant Christian sites in Britain and indeed in the wider history of Western Christianity. The monastery that Augustine established just outside the walls of the Roman city of Cantium (Canterbury) was the first Benedictine house in England and served as the mother church and burial place of the early Archbishops of Canterbury and the kings of the Kingdom of Kent. Its foundation marks the moment at which England formally re-entered the orbit of the Roman Church after nearly two centuries of Anglo-Saxon paganism.
The early history of the site is intimately connected with the grandest figures of Northumbrian and Kentish Christianity. The kings of Kent — Ethelbert, Eadbald, and their successors — were buried here alongside the earliest archbishops. The monastery grew rapidly in wealth and prestige through the Anglo-Saxon period, and its scriptorium became an important centre of manuscript production and learning. The Normans expanded and rebuilt the abbey on a grand scale after 1066, and the remains of the enormous Norman abbey church — which rivalled Canterbury Cathedral itself in size — are the most visible remains at the site today.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in 1538 ended the monastic community's eight-hundred-year occupation of the site. The buildings were converted to secular use, first as a royal palace and later as a private house, and the great abbey church was gradually robbed of its stonework, leaving the ruins visible today. English Heritage manages the site with a museum displaying finds from the site's history, including important Saxon and medieval material, and provides context for interpreting the complex layers of this extraordinary place.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Visit all three Canterbury World Heritage Sites in a single day — St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, and St Martin's Church are all within walking distance and complement each other perfectly.
- Use the included audio guide — it significantly enriches the experience of a site where much of the history is invisible to the casual visitor without context.
- Visit St Pancras' Chapel at the eastern end of the site — it is one of the oldest pieces of standing Christian architecture in England and is sometimes overlooked in favour of the main Norman ruins.
- Canterbury East station is only 10 minutes' walk — no need to drive into the city centre.
- English Heritage members enter free — if visiting multiple EH sites in Kent (Reculver Towers, Dover Castle, Deal Castle), membership provides excellent value.
- The site is best in the morning when it is less crowded and the light on the stonework is most attractive.
- Read about St Augustine's mission to England before visiting — knowing the story of his arrival in 597 and his encounter with King Ethelbert transforms the experience of standing on the site.
- Combine with a visit to Chilham Castle village or the Kent countryside for a full day out from London.
Highlights
The Foundation of 597 AD — England's Christian Beginning
St Augustine's Abbey stands on the site where the Christian conversion of Anglo-Saxon England began. In 597 AD, the monk Augustine arrived in Kent with a party of forty companions, sent by Pope Gregory the Great to restore Christianity to a kingdom that had been pagan since the withdrawal of Roman administration in the 5th century.
King Ethelbert of Kent received Augustine cautiously but allowed him to preach, and Augustine's initial success in converting the king and much of his court led to the foundation of the monastery outside the city walls.
The site's status as ground zero of English Christianity gives it an almost unparalleled significance in the religious history of England — a significance formally recognised by its designation as part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site.
Royal Burial Ground of the Kings of Kent
The original Saxon monastery at Canterbury served as the burial place of the early kings of Kent and the first archbishops of Canterbury — a royal mausoleum of the first importance in the Anglo-Saxon world. Ethelbert himself, the first Christian king of Anglo-Saxon England, was buried here, along with his queen Bertha and a succession of his royal descendants.
The archbishops from Augustine onwards were also buried at the abbey rather than in the cathedral, giving the site a dual significance as both royal and episcopal burial ground.
The location of the royal burials has been identified archaeologically within the ruins of the Saxon churches, and interpreting the site in the context of these royal connections transforms it from a collection of medieval ruins into the burial place of the founding figures of English Christianity.
Norman Abbey Church Ruins
After the Norman Conquest, the Saxon monastery was transformed by the Normans into one of the largest and most ambitious Benedictine houses in England. The Norman abbot Scotland (1070–1087) began rebuilding on a grand scale, demolishing the Saxon churches and constructing a new Norman abbey church of extraordinary scale — its length rivalling Canterbury Cathedral itself.
The ruins of this Norman church, with the foundations of its nave, transepts, and apsidal east end visible in the grass, convey the sheer scale of the medieval enterprise.
Walking through the outline of the Norman church, with the surviving wall fragments rising in places to considerable height, gives a powerful impression of the ambition and resources that the Benedictine community commanded at its medieval peak.
St Augustine's Abbey Museum
The English Heritage museum at St Augustine's Abbey, housed within the medieval gatehouse building at the site entrance, presents finds from the archaeological investigations of the site alongside interpretive displays covering the full history of the monastery from 597 AD to the Dissolution and beyond.
The collection includes Saxon stonework, medieval tiles, architectural fragments, and objects from the monastic period that bring the long history of the site to life. The museum provides essential context for making sense of the complex and overlapping remains visible in the abbey grounds, and the audio guide that accompanies the museum allows visitors to explore the site at their own pace with detailed commentary on each area.
Collections
The St Augustine's Abbey museum holds archaeological finds from the site including Saxon stonework, medieval architectural fragments, floor tiles, and objects from the monastic period. The collection provides material evidence for the site's history from the earliest Christian phase through to the Dissolution.
The Canterbury Museum in Beaney House holds additional material from Canterbury's history.
St Augustine's Abbey — 1,400 Years of Faith and History
Permanent displays in the gatehouse museum covering the foundation, growth, dissolution, and later history of St Augustine's Abbey from 597 AD to the present day. Includes archaeological finds, architectural fragments, and interpretive models.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.