File:The greater abbeys of England (1908) (14762137006).jpg

Identifier: greaterabbeysofe01gasq (find matches)
Title: The greater abbeys of England
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Gasquet, Francis Aidan, 1846-1929
Subjects: Abbeys
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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venturing near, saw that an innumerable hostfrom Heaven accompanied the Apostle in the ceremonial,whilst every thing and person was illuminated by a super-natural light. The dedication having been accomplished,St. Peter returned to the fisherman and declaring who hewas, told him to go at daybreak and seek Mellitus and tellhim that in proof of what he had done the bishop wouldfind the marks of consecration crosses on the walls of thechurch. As a further pledge St. Peter bade the man sinkhis net in the river, and carry to the bishop one of thefish he should take. This he did, and captured such anetful of salmon that his boat could hardly contain them.For centuries after, in memory of this, the monks enjoyeda tithe of fish in the river from Jenlade to Staines, andevery year a Thames salmon, the first of the season, wasoffered at the High Altar, and the fisherman who broughtit was feasted in the hall. Only less wonderful than thetale of the dedication was the story that St. John the (346)
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WESTMINSTER Evangelist, in the pilgrimage which legend assigns tohim until the second coming of our Lord, once foundhis way to Westminster and trod the aisles of the church.Hardly more certain than these pretty legends are theindications of the history of Thorney in Saxon times. Therestorations supposed to have been made by Kings Offaand Edgar and even the charters of St. Dunstan wouldappear to be open to some suspicion, although there isevery reason to think that there was a monastic establish-ment already existing when King Edward the Confessor,the real founder of Westminster, built the first greatchurch on Thorney island. This great work the piousKing undertook in place of a vow of pilgrimage to Rome,which he had made whilst in exile. At great cost thebuilding was finished in a very few years, and it was alto-gether constructed in a style at that time new in England;it was the first Norman church ever erected in England.One writer describes it as a building supported by manypillars

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