600 Hundred Years of Syon Abbey to Be Marked

Open air service to be led by Archbishop of Westminster

600 Years of Syon Abbey are to be marked this month with a special service to be attended by the Archbishop of Westminster and the Duke of Northumberland.

The abbey community of the Bridgettine Order was founded in 1415 by Henry V at the site by the river Thames. Construction of the abbey Church started in 1426 is believed to have been the largest Church ever built in England. By the reign of Henry VIII it was the largest and wealthiest convent in England but became a victim of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.

An open air ecumenical service is planned for Sunday 19th July to be held on the site where the Abbey stood, just behind the current Syon House. The three remaining sisters of Syon maintain their traditions, and the commemoration of the 600th anniversary will be a celebration both of this remarkable continuity, and of the very beginnings of Syon Park itself.

All are welcome at the service which will take place at 3pm and be led by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. There will be a service of commemoration and celebration with music and liturgy both modern and of the period.

There are no contemporary drawings or records of the Abbey Church but a recent investigation by Channel 4’s Time Team revealed the scale of the original building. It would have been one of the most significant pieces of architecture in Western Europe at the time.

The event has been jointly organised by Syon House, St Bridget’s Church and All Saints Church.

July 3, 2015