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The Great Britain Guide

Cathedrals · South West England

Sherborne Abbey

Sherborne Abbey, otherwise the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church in Sherborne in the English county of Dorset. It was formerly a Saxon Catholic cathedral (705–1075) an

Sherborne - Abbey - Great West Window - geograph.org.uk - 6988268

Rob Farrow — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Best time of year
Year-round

About

Sherborne Abbey, otherwise the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church in Sherborne in the English county of Dorset. It was formerly a Saxon Catholic cathedral (705–1075) and a Benedictine abbey church (998–1539), before becoming a Church of England parish church in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries. In England's Thousand Best Churches (1999) by Simon Jenkins, it is one of only 18 churches given a five-star rating.

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From the Wikipedia article

Sherborne Abbey, otherwise the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England church in Sherborne in the English county of Dorset. It was formerly a Saxon Catholic cathedral (705–1075) and a Benedictine abbey church (998–1539), before becoming a Church of England parish church in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries. In England's Thousand Best Churches (1999) by Simon Jenkins, it is one of only 18 churches given a five-star rating.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

This site has been occupied since Roman times. During the restoration of 1849–58, excavations were carried out in which part of a Roman mosaic pavement was found deep beneath the floor, as well as evidence that the Saxon cathedral of AD 705 had been built on the site of a previous church. It is possible that there was a Celtic Christian church called Lanprobi here as early as AD 658, when it was part of the Celtic kingdom of Dumnonia, and Kenwalc or Cenwalh, King of the West Saxons, is believed to be one of its founders. However, it is probable that this church was actually on the site of modern-day Castleton Church.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.9467, -2.5167
Address
Church Lane, Sherborne, DT9 3BP
Phone
+44 1935 812252
Established
705
Opening
Apr-Dec Tu-Sa 10:30-16:30

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Sherborne Abbey?
Sherborne Abbey is in South West England, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 50.9467°, -2.5167°.
When was Sherborne Abbey built?
Sherborne Abbey dates to 705.
What are the opening hours for Sherborne Abbey?
OpenStreetMap records opening hours as: Apr-Dec Tu-Sa 10:30-16:30. Check the official site to confirm seasonal changes.