Here is the text of William Shakespeare's sonnet LXXIII:
THAT time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
The phrase, bare ruin'd choirs, has often been used describe to remains of medieval monasteries. While I was raised as a Methodist, I have always admired the power and spirituality of the medieval Catholic church. As a medievalist, I realize that monasteries were important forces in medieval life. Follow me below the fold to see some of these bare ruin'd choirs.
As many of you know, I am a medieval archaeologist in my day job. I have worked in Britain and Ireland since the early 1970s. Christianity was reintroduced to Britain at the end of the 6th century. Beginning in the 7th century, monasteries were established in many parts of eastern England. Most received royal charters and land grants, and access to high quality land and cheap labor allowed monasteries to become innovators in agriculture, crafts, and trade, Many of the early monasteries were Benedictine, but the stricter Cistercian order established a number of monasteries in the north of England beginning in the 12th century. The Cistercians called for a return to manual labor, and many of their monasteries were founded in rural regions such as northern Yorkshire.
In an attempt to redirect revenue from the monasteries to the crown, King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in the British Isles between 1536 and 1541. Today, many lie in ruins. A few others have been re-used as parish churches or cathedrals. Here are a few of these bare ruin'd choirs.
The Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds was once one of the richest Benedictine monasteries in England. The Abbey was founded in Anglo-Saxon times, and the relics of the martyred King Edumnd were translated there in 903. Today the remains of the abbey include a Norman (12th century) tower:
and the fragmentary remains of the monastic complex. The remains of the monastery are now a public garden, and a new cathedral was constructed at Bury St. Edmunds in the 20th century:
Some of the former abbeys survive as parish churches. One of the most beautiful is Selby Abbey in Yorkshire, a former Benedictine monastery that was founded by William the Conquerer in 1069. Blue jersey dad, Devious Pie, and I visited Selby Abbey when we attended the Leeds medieval conference in 2007:
In addition to requiring manual labor and strict adherence to monastic rule, the Cictercians produced some of the most beautiful architecture in medieval Europe. Here are the remains of two of the medieval monasteries in Yorkshire--Rievaulx Abbey:
and Fountains Abbey:
Finally, here is a view of Whitby Abbey which was founded by St. Hilda in 657. The Anglo-Saxon monastery was destroyed by the Vikings, but the monastery was re-founded by one of William the Conquerer's knights. Today, the remains of the monastery overlook the North Sea and the port town where Dracula arrived in England.
The remains of these beautiful buildings stand as a testament to the faith of an earlier time.
In an ecumenical spirit, I would like to close with a Buddhist prayer (Hat tip to webranding.)
May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness—the children, the aged, the unprotected—be guarded by beneficent celestial, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
Peace.