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General view of the excavation of Beaumont Abbey in Indre-et-Loire.            Source: © Mathilde Noël/Inrap

Beaumont Abbey: Unveiling the Home of Benedictine Nuns

In an ambitious archaeological endeavor, Beaumont Abbey, located in Indre-et-Loire, France, has been fully excavated, revealing layers of history dating back 800 years. This monumental 14-month...
Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France. Source: PUNTOSTUDIOFOTO Lda / Adobe Stock.

Mont Saint-Michel: A Medieval Abbey Trapped by Tides and Time (Video)

Mont Saint-Michel , a captivating Gothic-styled Benedictine Abbey , stands gracefully amidst the ever-changing tides of Normandy and Brittany. Once on solid ground in ancient times, it now rests as a...
An arson attempt at Malmesbury Abbey was stopped by heroic locals. Source: Lukas Gojda / Adobe Stock

Local Heroes Save Historic Malmesbury Abbey from Fiery Ruin

Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire, England, was attacked by arsonists on Friday evening. The 12th century center of learning would have been entirely lost, if it were not for the brave actions of “heroic...
National Trust archaeologists have finally determined the age of the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset, England using snail shells and the ancient Abbas Abbey “next door.” But questions remain.					Source: PeteHarlow / CC BY-SA 3.0

‘Missing Detail’ From the Cerne Abbas Giant Story Revealed

The Cerne Abbas Giant, a crude, naked, male-giant figure, drawn on an English hillside with chalk, measuring a whopping 180 feet (55 meters) tall has obviously been an eternal source of fascination...
Fountains Abbey in northern Yorkshire. Source: Russell / Adobe Stock

Massive Medieval Tannery Identified at Spectacular Fountains Abbey

The original purpose of a mysterious patch of land beside England’s Fountains Abbey has finally been deciphered. Experts have concluded that it’s the largest and best-preserved tannery ever...
Eilmer of Malmesbury: Did This Flying Monk Beat Da Vinci by 500 Years?

Eilmer of Malmesbury: Did This Flying Monk Beat Da Vinci by 500 Years?

Eilmer of Malmesbury was a Benedictine monk who lived in the 10th and 11th centuries AD. Eilmer is remembered today for his flight from the top of a tower. Due to this feat, the monk is considered as...
The archaeological dig site of the Westminster Abbey Sacristy will be part of the abbey’s Hidden Highlights tours this summer at Westminster Abbey, photographed above. Source: coward_lion / Adobe Stock

Henry III’s Rediscovered Westminster Abbey Sacristy Opens to Tourists

The long-lost Great Sacristy of Henry III, built nearly eight centuries ago and rediscovered in 2020, will be open to the public for the first time this summer. The 13th century king ordered this...
The Carthusians: Solitary Lives Dedicated to Pure Contemplation

The Carthusians: Solitary Lives Dedicated to Pure Contemplation

The world of a monk is a world of seclusion and solitude. It offers introspection and an inner peace that is so crucial in comprehending greater religious philosophy. And the lives of Carthusian...
Aethelthryth: The Extraordinary Medieval Virgin Queen and Saint

Aethelthryth: The Extraordinary Medieval Virgin Queen and Saint

It’s a name most people have never heard of and even fewer can pronounce, but St Aethelthryth of Ely is one of England’s most fascinating saints whose name has survived throughout the centuries and...
Norton Priory: The Most Excavated Monastic Site in Europe

Norton Priory: The Most Excavated Monastic Site in Europe

Norton Priory is a former Augustinian abbey located in Cheshire, England . Established in the 12th century, it was originally meant to house a community of Augustinian canons. During the 14th century...
The abbey gateway at the now ruined Reading Abbey in a Paul Sandby oil painting from 1808. Source: Public domain

Reading Abbey: Ruins Are A Reminder of Medieval Religious Strife

Reading Abbey was erected in 1121 in the town of Reading within in the county of Berkshire, England. It was a royal monastery established by King Henry I to pay homage to his ancestors and his...
King Edward II’s Stone Head Unearthed at British Abbey

King Edward II’s Stone Head Unearthed at British Abbey

An excavation at a medieval Abbey in Britain has uncovered a treasure trove of finds. These include the personal effects of nuns and examples of religious art. But the most surprising artifact among...
Sweetheart Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland             Source: Heartland Arts / Adobe Stock

Sweetheart Abbey, a Shrine to a Beautiful Scottish Love Story

Scotland is a picturesque and historic land and the country has a long history with many celebrated landmarks. Sweetheart Abbey, a monastery built in Middle Ages is now in ruins but still remarkable...
The Paisley Abbey alien gargoyle (image had been cropped). Source: Colin / CC BY-SA 2.0

Enigma of Alien Gargoyle Atop Ancient Scottish Church Now Solved

An ‘alien’ gargoyle carved on the exterior of a 12th-century Scottish abbey is causing waves on social media. Believed to have been founded as a holy site in the 7th century by Saint Mirin (or Saint...
St Dunstan crowns King Edgar

Anglo-Saxon Abbey where Lusty King Edgar was Crowned, Found!

King Edgar (the Peaceful) was the first king of ‘all England’ - including the kingdoms of Scotland, Mercia, and Wessex, and his coronation at an Anglo-Saxon abbey as a divine ruler recognized by God...
Medmenham Abbey.

Medmenham Abbey: When the Monks Left Debauchery and the Hellfire Club Moved In

Medmenham is a village and civil parish located in Wycombe, a district in Buckinghamshire, England. The parish is best-known for its abbey, which was founded during the Middle Ages. As a monastic...
The ‘devil coins’ were found when stalls were removed for restoration work in the abbey.

Satanic Panic Hit As ‘Devil Coins’ Were Unearthed Beneath Bath Abbey

Hidden beneath 19th century stalls in Bath Abbey, Somerset, England, ‘bewildered’ restoration archaeologists discovered a pair of coins depicting a horned and hoofed, trident-wielding devil and the...
Remains of the original apse built in 1077 was unearthed during excavation work at St Albans Cathedral.

1,000-Year-Old Norman Cathedral Ruins Unearthed Beneath Church in England

The foundations of a Norman cathedral have been found under just 3ft (90cm) of soil during excavations at St Albans Abbey, the oldest place of continuous Christian worship in England. They are dated...
The library of the Abbey of St. Gall.

The Abbey Library of St. Gall: One of the Oldest Working Libraries in the World

Founded during the 8th century, the Abbey of St. Gall has served both the Church and scholars over the years. Its library has a particular draw because it is one of the oldest and most important...
Isle of May monastery ruins (Peter Yeoman) top left; Skeletal remains on May (Peter Yeoman/ British Archaeology Magazine); The foot bones of a teenager with syphilis (left). An enlarged skull, possibly due to hydrocephaly (right). (Images: Marlo Willows/British Archaeology) bottom left.

Sick Children’s Skeletons Unearthed on Holy Healing Isle

The lost history of a sacred Scottish “healing island” has revealed its holy secrets in the skeletal dna of sick children, archaeologists in Edinburgh have announced. This string of majestical...
 Book of Kells, Folio 32v, Christ Enthroned. Scanned from Treasures of Irish Art, 1500 BC to 1500 AD, From the Collections of the National Museum of Ireland.

Priceless Medieval Sacred Text Reveals Its True Origins

Arguably the world’s most famous medieval manuscript, the wonderfully illustrated Book of Kells , was “created in 2 parts over 50 years,” Dr Bernard Meehan of Trinity College, Dublin, told reporters...
(1) Knotted tanned hide bundle before extraction of contents; (2) & (4) gold dinars; (3) signet ring with intaglio; (5) contents of knotted tanned hide bundle.

Medieval Treasure Unearthed at the Abbey of Cluny

In mid-September, a large treasure was unearthed during a dig at the Abbey of Cluny, in the French department of Saône-et-Loire: 2,200 silver deniers and oboles, 21 Islamic gold dinars, a signet ring...
Himmerod Abbey and Church building

900-Year-Old German Monastery Forced to Shut Down Because of Monk Shortage

Himmerod Abbey, a Cistercian monastery that's existed for almost 900 years in what is now western Germany is closing down for good, due to running expenses and also a shortage of monks. Notably, the...
The recently unearthed medieval priest’s skull and coffin lid.

Latest Thornton Abbey Discovery: Did the Great Famine take a Medieval Priest and Leave an Elaborate Grave?

The remains of a Medieval priest who died 700 years ago has been uncovered at Thornton Abbey in Lincolnshire. Research shows he could have been a victim of the Great Famine. Archaeologists from the...

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