GLASTONBURY:

THE

LEGENDARY

AVALON

The legends surrounding one of England's most sacred sites attract a multitude of visitors and pilgrims. Was King Arthur really buried in the abbey grounds? Is the Holy Grail hidden in Chalice Well? Does a maze spiral its way to the summit of Glastonbury! Tor?

Rising above the flat plains of the Somerset Levels, Glastonbury Tor, with a ruined church tower at its peak, provides an unmistakable landmark for one of England's most mysterious places.  For Glastonbury, the site of one of the country's earliest Christian buildings, is steeped in a wealth of tradition and legend, myth and romance. This small bustling country town attracts visitors of all kinds. Romantics are drawn by the legends of King Arthur, pilgrims by its ancient Christian heritage, mystics look to find the Holy Grail, while astrologers are lured by the rumour of a zodiac said to be laid out upon the landscape.  

Glastonbury was almost an island surrounded by marshland or floodwater where early Christians settled, though quite when is uncertain. The earliest reliable date is about AD 705 when King Ine founded a monastery here, which became a Benedictine house in the 10th century. Archaeological excavations have uncovered traces of earlier buildings made of wattle and daub, while over the centuries many fine stone edifices were constructed, most now traceable in outline only. Substantial remains exist of the main abbey church built in the 13th and 14th centuries, with a mystique all of its own.

The abbey's 12th-century Lady Chapel stands on the site of an earlier church destroyed by fire in AD 1184. This was the 'Old Church ‘ built, according to tradition, by Joseph of Arimathea, the rich man who wrapped up the body of Jesus and carried it to his tomb. Legend tells how Joseph later emigrated to Glastonbury and established a church there. Another legend relates how Joseph landed by boat on Wearyall Hill and leaned on his staff in prayer. The staff took root and became the Glastonbury Thorn, which still flowers at Easter and Christmas time in the abbey grounds and in front of St. John's Church.

(Atlas of Mysterious Places – Marshall Editions Ltd - 1987)