Tewkesbury Abbey

Turning now to the large-scale monastic buildings constructed by the Normans, those of the Benedictine Order were among the earliest and the most prolific. The order, founded by Saint Benedict in the sixth century, became established in Saxon England, and eight of the cathedrals including Canterbury, Winchester and Durham were served by Benedictine communities. Saint Benedict taught that the arts of architecture, painting, and sculpture were a form of worship, and under Benedictine influence architecture flowered.