TR 309 647
         51.33 N, 1.31 E
      51° 20' N, 1° 18' E

Minster Abbey
Website

Opening Times
The Abbey is open to visitors
November to April - Saturdays only from 11.00am to 12.00pm
May to October - Mondays to Saturdays from 2.45pm to 4.00pm
Tours also by Appointment - Ring Sr. Benedict on 01843 821254

The first English monastery was founded on the Abbey site in 670 AD. It was founded by Ermenburga, a granddaughter of St. Ethelbert, the first Christian King of Kent. She was given as much land as her pet deer could run across in a day, by her uncle, as compensation for the murder of her two brothers. She dedicated it to St.Mary the Virgin.

The original building was destroyed by the Vikings in the 9th Century. The Abbey was burnt to the ground, killing about 70 Nuns and townspeople who had fled to the Abbey for safety. The remains now lie beneath the lawn of the current Abbey.

The Abbey was rebuilt in 1027 AD and was given to the monks of St .Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury. The Saxon wing of this building is still standing.The south wall of the Abbey was added within a 100 years of the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is possibly the oldest inhabited house in the country.

The Abbey was home to the monks for over 500 years.It then passed into private hands until it was reoccupied in 1937 by a small community of Benedictine nuns from Bavaria.