Martyr Window, Belmont Abbey
Belmont Abbey, just outside Hereford, is a working Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery, home to a community of monks. What is less well known is that it was also a cathedral for much of it's life, serving the Catholic Diocese of Herefordshire and South Wales, but was stripped of that status in 1920 and has been simply an Abbey church ever since.
The buildings were begun in 1854 and the church largely finished by 1858 to the designs of Pugin Jnr. It follows a cruciform plan with an impressive central tower giving the effect of a cathedral in miniature.
Inside the furnishings generally date from the late 19th century with an unsurprising but well executed sequence of windows by Hardman Studios, whilst in the north transept is the canopied tomb of the first bishop.
The Abbey today is a very welcoming place in an attractive and very secluded spot, with the church kept open for visitors.
Martyr Window, Belmont Abbey
Belmont Abbey, just outside Hereford, is a working Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery, home to a community of monks. What is less well known is that it was also a cathedral for much of it's life, serving the Catholic Diocese of Herefordshire and South Wales, but was stripped of that status in 1920 and has been simply an Abbey church ever since.
The buildings were begun in 1854 and the church largely finished by 1858 to the designs of Pugin Jnr. It follows a cruciform plan with an impressive central tower giving the effect of a cathedral in miniature.
Inside the furnishings generally date from the late 19th century with an unsurprising but well executed sequence of windows by Hardman Studios, whilst in the north transept is the canopied tomb of the first bishop.
The Abbey today is a very welcoming place in an attractive and very secluded spot, with the church kept open for visitors.