New beginnings

Norman arch at Furness

L'abbaye de Savigny le Vieux was founded in Mortain on the Normandy/Brittany border by Vital in 1112. The abbey thrived and received many donations, supporting 140 monks. The church expanded after the death of Vital in 1122 and established 32 daughter houses based in Ireland, England and France, including our own Furness Abbey.


 

Arches at Savigny le Vieux
 

In 1123 twelve monks set off from the mother church of Savigny in Normandy to found a religious house in England. This was one of many houses which were set up by the Savigniac order. They first arrived in Tulketh near Preston and from there surveyed possible sites for their venture. Land was granted to them by Stephen Duke of Boulogne and Mortain and the monks travelled to the Furness peninsula and rested in the Vale of Nightshade.

The process of building an abbey was a long one. The original Savigniac abbey is only just appearing from the shadows at Furness. Small hints and glimpses can still be seen if you look really hard. The original church-which is always central to any abbey was a different design to the one we see today, in style and structure. Evidence has been found of an apsidal presbytery and the style is Romanesque or Norman and we can see the round arches, the chevron patterns and simple symmetry.

Detail of pattern from arch at Savigny

This is masked by the later styles and the subsequent changes, but here and there to this day one can spot remnants of the earlier church. Comparisons can be made with the architecture of the Abbaye de Savigny le Vieux where the monks came from. The order of Savigny was superseded in 1143 when it merged with the Cistercian order. The lifestyle of these orders were based upon prayer and manual labour allowing the abbeys to be financially independent. The Savigniac and Cistercian orders are known as white monks and this arose from the white woollen habits which they wore with black scapula and cowl.

St Vital

Carved Norman Arch at Furness

 Savigny

 

The Crozier Returns to Furness Abbey

It was a great day for Furness Abbey on Thursday 27th March 2014. The famous Crozier and ring found in the Presbytery in 2010 finally returned to their home at the Abbey. They will now stay on permanent display in a bespoke cabinet funded by local donations and through the work of Furness Abbey Fellowship.

On the day monks from Iron Shepherds Living History pretended to carry the ancient relics in procession from the Abbey Church of St Mary to their final resting place within the visitor centre. The Crozier and ring have toured the country, displayed in various prestigious venues such as the Wellington Arch in London. The artefacts are of national importance as the Crozier was the first to be found in its original resting place during an archeological dig. Most Croziers held in British Museums were from private collections, not found beneath the ground! It is also very rare to find a burial of this nature with grave goods. When the Crozier was unearthed in 2010 it received press coverage across the country, from BBC and Channel 4 reports to various newspaper and online articles. 

The return heralded a celebration for English Heritage and Furness Abbey Fellowship with the unveiling of the new display early in the evening. Everyone took a moment to admire the display and of course the artefacts, happy to see it back where it came from. 

In the cabinet, along with the Crozier and ring, is part of the wooden shaft, which the Crozier once adorned, and the metal bottom to the shaft. Brand new interpretation boards fill the wall next to the case, packed with information and images about the significants of the discovery. You can also see the Crozier and ring with their original owner in a picture from when the burial was discovered.

This is the culmination of almost two years partnership working and fundraising, the highlight of which was the first Medieval Fair within the Abbey precinct. It will comprise an important part of the visitor experience and is a very significant and beautiful group of objects. The exhibition will form the central focus for the Abbey as a tourist destination and is well worth visiting!

The Furness Abbey Blog

This is a new blog aiming to update you with interesting and relevant developments at Furness Abbey through out the years.

Brought to you by Furness Abbey Fellowship we will follow the stabilisation work currently taking place, cover events that happen and look at any significant advances happening at the Abbey. This will hopefully become a useful record for the future of how the Abbey changes and develops over time.

Furness Abbey is one of the most beautiful abbeys in Britain and is certainly worth a visit whether you are local or from further afield, this abbey has a lot to offer!