monastery
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom (England) · Britain & Ireland
51.146, -2.715
Tradition. ATTESTED: a 7th-century monastery and Ine's church. TRADITIONAL/LEGEND: Joseph of Arimathea's foundation and Arthur's grave, which historians generally regard as medieval inventions (the 1191 grave as a fundraising device after the fire of 1184).
Glastonbury was a British monastery taken over by the West Saxons after 658; King Ine endowed it and built a stone church about 712. Medieval monks later promoted legends that Joseph of Arimathea founded it in the 1st century and that King Arthur was buried there (the 'discovery' of 1191).
Source stance: insider. Abbey chronicles (William of Malmesbury and later interpolations) promoting the house.
People and groups named here
- King Ine of Wessex (c. 712)
- Dunstan (abbot, 10th century)
Sources
- Glastonbury Abbey (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Glastonbury Abbey
Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-1912), public domain; New Advent. Accessed 2026-11-11.
Further reading
Councils here
None in this list.