Bath+Abbey

==== The present day Bath Abbey was founded in 1499 by the Bishop of Bath who had a dream about angels ascending and descending into heaven. This dream inspired him to design and build a new church. It was originally built as a monetary in 675. It was reorganized in the 7th, 10th, 12th and 16th centuries. Three different churches have actually occupied the site of today's Abbey. In the original church in 973 AD, Edgar of Wessex was crowned on Whitsunday. He was the first king of a unified territory. ====

When William the Conqueror died in 1087, his sons fought for Bath and William Rufus won. He granted the abbey to a royal physician John of Tours, who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath. Bath was a rich Abbey which is probably why John was attracted to it. John became the first Bishop of Bath and the Abbey gained Cathedral status. At this time they felt it needed to be larger so John of Tours planned a new Cathedral. Only part of it was complete in 1122 when he died. He was buried at the Cathedral. Bath Abbey was then devastated in a fire in 1137. The new cathedral was completed in about 1156.

Again by 1499, the Abbey was in disrepair. This is when Oliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells, looked at it and, "a vision of angels called out to him", and he put a large amount of money into its restoration. Oliver King said that he had a dream of angels ascending and descending into Heaven. The architecture has fan vaulting like at Westminster Abbey and is one of the largest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West. The west front has sculptures of angels climbing to heaven on two stone ladders. The outside has a yellow color because it is built of stone from Bath. The walls and roofs are supported by flying buttresses and surrounded by battlements.

Many restorations have taken place at Bath Abbey, in 2010 a stained glass window was uncovered in the abbey vaults. There are 617 wall memorials and 847 floor stones. The most recent memorial was installed in 1958 for Sir Isaac Pitman who was a publisher and started English shorthand, he was knighted in 1894 and died in 1897. Today British Monarchs still get crowned at Bath Abbey. It is a magnificent structure and the bells, organ, and history are monumental.

==== The Abbey still stands today, although there has been additions and areas rebuilt. In 1539, much of the Abbey was destroyed, and wasn't rebuilt until 1616. Most of the church we see today is from when it was rebuilt. During the 1830's, a few additions, like flying buttresses, pinnacles, and interior designs were added to the church. ====

Since the 700's, the site of this Abbey has been occupied by three churches. An Anglo-Saxon church, a Norman church, and the current church.The first church (Anglo-Saxon) was destroyed by Normans who conquered England, and replaced by a Norman church. That church was destroyed, and replaced with the church that remains today.