St Benedict's Church

St Benedict’s Church stands in Glastonbury, Somerset, on ground once linked to Glastonbury Abbey. Built as a Norman chapel in the 11th century, it grew through the 15th and 19th centuries into a Grade I listed building. The first church here was dedicated to Saint Benignus, later changed to Saint Benedict in the 17th century. Abbot Richard Beere added the north aisle and porch in the late 15th century. Victorian architect Benjamin Ferrey created the south chapel in 1862, and J. D. Sedding led restorations in the 1880s. The church’s architecture reflects its layered past. Its Lias stone walls enclose a four-bay nave, north and south aisles, a chancel, and a clerestory. A three-stage west tower rises with set-back buttresses and an embattled parapet, holding six bells, five dating from 1776. Inside, a 13th-century piscina survives in the fabric, marking where sacred vessels once stood. The building was once a dependent chapel of St John the Baptist, both under Glastonbury Abbey until the Dissolution. Visitors find a quiet place where medieval craftsmanship meets later additions. The tower’s bells still sound across the town, and the 13th-century piscina remains visible in the chancel. The church sits close to the high street yet feels removed from modern noise. Its stonework and stained glass tell stories of abbots, restorers, and centuries of worship.