Identifier: greaterabbeysofe01gasq (find matches)
Title: The greater abbeys of England
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Gasquet, Francis Aidan, 1846-1929
Subjects: Abbeys
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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f.He that saw it would say, verily, that it wis a city, somany gates are there in it, and some of brass, and so manytowers and a most stately church, upon which attend threeothers also, standing gloriously in one and the samechurchyard, all of passing fine and curious workman-ship. Such was the great abbey in the day of its magnificence:to this it was slowly and painfully built up during the fivehundred years of its existence. The first abbot was suc-ceeded by Leofstan, another of the monks who had comeas founders from Hulme, and it was during the time ofhis abbacy that Edward the Confessor visited the shrineof St. Edmund on more than one occasion. At thesetimes, out of veneration for the saintly King and martyr,Edward was wont to perform the last mile of his journeyon foot like an ordinary pilgrim. Upon the death ofLeofstan the favour of the Confessor procured the elec-tion of Baldwin, a monk of St. Denis and his own physi-cian, and the convent had no reason to regret their com- (60)
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BURY ST. EDMUNDS pliance with the Kings suggestion. Even after theConquest this learned abbot continued in high favourwith William. He was always well received at Courtand the King kept him for long periods near his personas a friend and adviser. Towards the close of his life Abbot Baldwin saw thatthe church built by Canute was hardly adequate for themore modern requirements, when the abbey had alreadygrown in size and importance. He determined, there-fore, to begin the building of a noble church, and soquickly did the work proceed that he completed w^hatwas considered one of the most wonderful churches of itsage in 1095. The same year the body of St. Edmund wastranslated to its new shrine with great pomp, on April29, in the presence of a vast concourse of people. Withina year Abbot Baldwin died and, as William Rufus thenreigned over England, the monks were left for some timebefore they could obtain permission to elect a successor.Even when Henry I came to the throne, in 1100, the roy

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