In celebration of 900 years of our church history a visit has been arranged for the abbot of St Wandrille
How did this connection with St Wandrille originate?
After William the conqueror had won his famous victory at Hastings he rewarded his loyal helpers with gifts of land. He was particularly anxious to reward his chaplain who also seems to have been a physician, and knowing that his chaplain was a devout Benedictine monk from the Abbey of St Wandrille, William gave St Wandrille lordship over four English Parishes in recognition of his services. These parishes flourished under the administration of the Abbey and early in the 12th Century the Abbey was given another four parishes including Upavon and Rushall. The Abbey also owned several additional parishes.
The deed of lordship was confirmed by Pope Innocent III after he had excommunicated and deposed King John from the throne of England in 1203. However during the Hundred Years War (1337 - 1457) between England and France, which resulted in the loss of all English possessions in France, apart from Calais, all English connections with foreign abbeys and monasteries was forbidden. For the next 600 years there seems to have been little, if any, relationship between Upavon and the Mother Church and it was not until 1960 when the Vicar, Revd Paul McCartney, re-established contact with St Wandrille, and even proposed the establishment of a society called "The Friends of St Wandrille@, a project we might like to revive.
During the middle ages the abbot was a Prebend (Honorary Canon) of Salisbury Cathedral and the present Abbot, who has the title of Reverendissime (Most Reverend), is a canon of Portsmouth Cathedral.
Who was St Wandrille?
He lived in the 7th century AD and in his youth was a handsome nobleman at the court of an early Frankish ruler (before Charlemagne), King Dagobert. Dagobert's coronation throne still exists and it was used at the coronation of every French Kind until the revolution. Wandrille (it is pronounced in French like the English V, so Vandrille is the pronunciation) had just married according to the records, and seemed destined for a brilliant career, when suddenly he and his wife decided to leave the court and dedicate their life to the service of God. Wandrille joined a group of Benedictine monks living near Verdun. The King was furious and ordered Wandrille to return to the Court immediately, but Wandrille refused "leaving heaven to plead his cause". Miraculously Dagobert accepted this decision and gave Wandrille permission to join the priesthood. He was ordained at Rouen and returned to his benedictine monastery where he became Abbot (649). After his death (668) he was canonised and the monastery adopted his name as their own. He was also a man of great physical agility and was called "the athlete of God". It is said of the monastery of St Wandrille that "saints flourished there like roses in a hot-house" and that the abbey is the only foundation in Christendom which celebrates the feast day "of all saints of our monastery".
The Churches
According to the Abbey records the first priory built by the St Wandrille Benedictines was sited at Chisenbury. A little later a cure or priest was appointed to minister to the congregation of Upavon. He too lived in a priory and the site still exists in Upavon. His ministry must have flourished as shortly afterwards the decision was taken to build the present church.
The construction probably began in the reign of Henry II (1154-89) and the tower is at least 700 years old. The present octagonal font and the baptistery also date from this period and were crafted by Norman stonemasons. The piscina on the south side of the chancel comes from this period also. Benedictines clearly sent over their own master masons to build our church with the help of local labour. The Norman Benedictines were already master builders of a very high standard.
The Abbey of St Wandrille itself rates two stars in the Michelin Guide and is immensely impressive. Impressive too are the modern buildings especially the glorious wooden chapel built in a huge hall of the Romanesque period. During the French Revolution much of the glorious 18th century work was destroyed and the stone sold off by an enterprising revolutionary. Nevertheless quite a lot remained and in 1813 an Irish peer, Lord Stackpoole, travelling with his wife through Normandy, was so enchanted with this site and the remaining buildings that they bought it. Later in the century the Stackpooles agreed to restore the monastery to the Benedictines. In 1894 an Abbot and 3 monks re-established the Order and in 1897 a new Abbot was officially installed. In 1949 the Abbey celebrated its 1300th anniversary. In 1992 the Abbey housed 46 Benedictine monks.
Peter Willey
Possessions of the Abbey of St Wandrille in England
(all mentioned in the Domesday book)
Bridport
Wareham
Witchurch Canicorum
Burton Bradstock
Upavon
Willsford
Manningford Bohune
Boughton
Rushall
Sherston Magna
The Abbey also held property in the following places:
Slaisbury
Sherbourne
London
Glasonbury
Winchester
Cranbourne
Cerne Abbas
Milton
Abbotsbury
Norton Atthelney
Tavistock
Further property was probably held in the North of the country.
Links: The Abbey of St Wandrille
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