Site type guide
Abbey
Crawlable taxonomy page generated from the current site detail schema and used in the internal linking graph.
Countries to explore next
Traditions represented here
9 sites
Browse this type across countries, traditions, and sacred landscapes.
Abbey of Saint-Victor
Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Rising fortress-like above Marseille's ancient harbor, the Abbey of Saint-Victor descends through sixteen centuries of unbroken prayer. The crypt holds one of France's richest collections of early Christian sarcophagi—and a Black Madonna whose February procession draws thousands to receive blessed candles and boat-shaped biscuits, continuing traditions older than anyone can remember.
Ettal
Ettal, Bavaria, Germany
Ettal is a abbey of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 47.56986, 11.09513. Attributes: built, cultural. Tradition: Christianity. Ettal is a German municipality and a village in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria. Located in Ettal, Bayern, Germany.
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom
Glastonbury Abbey was once the second richest monastery in England, claiming to be the oldest Christian foundation in Britain. Today its ruins stand open to sky—walls that once enclosed a thousand years of prayer, the site where monks announced they had found King Arthur's grave, the ground where Abbot Whiting was dragged to his execution. What remains invites contemplation of what was lost and what endures.
Holy Cross Abbey
County Tipperary, The Municipal District of Thurles, Ireland
Holy Cross Abbey is a abbey of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 52.63954, -7.86805. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Christianity. Holy Cross Abbey (Mainistir na Croise Naofa) was a Cistercian monastery in Holycross near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir. It takes its name from a relic of the True Cross or Holy Rood. Located in The Municipal District of Thurles, Éire / Ireland.
Iona Abbey
Isle of Iona, Argyll and Bute, United Kingdom
Iona Abbey in Isle of Iona, Argyll and Bute, United Kingdom.
Mariastein Abbey
Metzerlen-Mariastein, Solothurn, Switzerland
Mariastein is a abbey of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 47.47606, 7.49221. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Christianity. Mariastein may refer to: Mariastein Abbey at Metzerlen-Mariastein, in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland Mariastern Abbey, Banja Luka in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Mariastein, Tyrol, a town in the district of Kufstein in Tyrol, Austria Located in Metzerlen-Mariastein, Solothurn, Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera/Svizra.
Monte Cassino
Cassino, Lazio, Italy
Monte Cassino is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 41.49033, 13.81339. The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about 130 kilometres (80 mi) southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient Roman town of Casinum, it is the first house of the Benedictine Order, having been established by Benedict of Nursia himself around 529. It was for the community of Monte Cassino that the Rule of Saint Benedict was composed. The first monastery on Monte Cassino was sacked by the invading Lombards around 570 and abandoned. Of the first monastery almost nothing is known. The second monastery was established by Petronax of Brescia around 718, at the suggestion of Pope Gregory II and with the support of the Lombard Duke Romuald II of Benevento. It was directly subject to the pope and many monasteries in Italy were under its authority. In 883, the monastery was sacked by Saracens and abandoned again. The community of monks resided first at Teano and then from 914 at Capua before the monastery was rebuilt in 949. During the period of exile, the Cluniac Reforms were introduced into the community. The 11th and 12th centuries were the abbey s golden age. It acquired a large secular territory around Monte Cassino, the so-called Terra Sancti Benedicti ( Land of Saint Benedict ), which it heavily fortified with castles. It maintained good relations with the Eastern Church, even receiving patronage from Byzantine emperors. It encouraged fine art and craftsmanship by employing Byzantine artisans. In 1057, Pope Victor II recognised the abbot of Monte Cassino as having precedence over all other abbots. Many monks rose to become bishops and cardinals, and three popes were drawn from the abbey: Stephen IX (1057–58), Victor III (1086–87) and Gelasius II (1118–19). During this period, a monastic chronicle, Chronica sacri monasterii casinensis, was written by two of its own, Cardinal Leo of Ostia and Peter the Deacon (who also compiled the cartulary). By the 13th century, the monastery s decline had set in. In 1239, the Emperor Frederick II garrisoned troops in it during his war with the Papacy. In 1322, Pope John XXII elevated the abbey into a bishopric but this was suppressed in 1367. The buildings were destroyed by an earthquake in 1349, and in 1369 Pope Urban V demanded a contribution from all Benedictine monasteries to fund the rebuilding. In 1454, the abbey was placed in commendam and in 1504 was made subject to the Abbey of Santa Giustina in Padua. In 1799, Monte Cassino was sacked again by French troops during the French Revolutionary Wars. The abbey was dissolved by the Italian government in 1866. The building became a national monument with the monks as custodians of its treasures. In 1944, during World War II, it was the site of the Battle of Monte Cassino, when the building was destroyed by Allied bombing. It was rebuilt after the war. After the reforms of the Second Vatican Council the monastery was one of the few remaining territorial abbeys within the Catholic Church. On 23 October 2014, Pope Francis applied the norms of the motu proprio Ecclesia Catholica of Paul VI (1976) to the abbey, removing from its jurisdiction all 53 parishes and reducing its spiritual jurisdiction to the abbey itself — while retaining its status as a territorial abbey. The former territory of the Abbey, except the land on which the abbey church and monastery sit, was transferred to the diocese of Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo. Pope Francis at the same time appointed Father Donato Ogliari as the new Abbot who will serve as the 192nd successor of Saint Benedict. As of 2015, the monastic community consists of 13 monks. Ogliari was succeeded as abbot by Antonio Luca Fallica in 2023. Located in Cassino, Lazio, Italy.
Tewkesbury Abbey
Tewkesbury, England, United Kingdom
Tewkesbury Abbey is a site of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 51.99034, -2.16088. The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury, commonly known as Tewkesbury Abbey, is located in the town of Tewkesbury in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. A former Benedictine monastery, it is now a parish church. Considered one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain, it has probably the largest and finest Romanesque crossing tower in England. Tewkesbury had been a centre for worship since the 7th century. A priory was established there in the 10th century. The present building was started in the early 12th century. It was unsuccessfully used as a sanctuary in the Wars of the Roses. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Tewkesbury Abbey became the parish church for the town. George Gilbert Scott led the restoration of the building in the late 19th century. The church and churchyard within the abbey precincts include tombs and memorials to many of the aristocracy of the area. Services have been high church but now include Parish Eucharist, choral Mass, and Evensong. These services are accompanied by one of the church s three organs and choirs. There is a ring of twelve bells, hung for change ringing. Located in Tewkesbury, England, United Kingdom.
The Sainte-Foy abbey church in Conques
Conques-en-Rouergue, Occitania, France
Conques is a abbey of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 44.59928, 2.39778. Attributes: built, cultural, pilgrimage. Tradition: Christianity. Associated figure: Saint Foy. Conques (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃k]; Languedocien: Concas) is a former commune in the Aveyron department in Southern France, in the Occitania region. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Conques-en-Rouergue. Located in Conques-en-Rouergue, Occitanie, France.