UK ~ St Augustine's Abbey - Canterbury - UNESCO ~

... Lovely aerial view of the impressive ancient remains of a great historic abbey with the Canterbury Cathedral towering in the background.... one of the most important and oldest monasteries in medieval England... the Abbey played an important role in the introduction of Christianity throughout England... originally established to convert the Anglo-Saxons, it served as a grand Benedictine monastery and royal burial site for nearly a thousand years before being destroyed by Henry VIII's Suppression of the Monasteries in the 16thC... the museum at St Augustine’s Abbey contains artefacts and stone carvings found at the Abbey during excavations... with wonderful Lord of the Rings stamps to celebrate the25th Anniversary Of “The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”👍... Thanks a lot Paul! (✿◠‿◠)

St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. 

Founded in AD 598 by St Augustine's a missionary from Rome, baptised the pagan King Ethelbert of Kent, the most powerful Anglo-Saxon monarch and the first to convert to Christianity.

To mark his conversion, Ethelbert gave Augustine land to build this very first monastery in Anglo-Saxon England.

The Cathedral, St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martin's Church were declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 1988.

 

Stamps:

The Lord of the Rings 

(Issued 20-03-2026)