YES to the Spirit and the Mystery ( Part 3 )

It is early evening when we tour the Abbey ruins. After our time at the Wells Cathedral earlier today, it is difficult not to imagine what Glastonbury Abbey may have been like prior to the dissolution. With these imaginings comes the stark reality as we witness the remnants of fire on the stone walls and areas within the remaining walls where stone has been ripped out:





Nothing remains of the High Alter. A gated off sign displays where it would have lied and that is all.


Now, of course, it would not be Glastonbury (in the present day sense of the place) without a mythical legend or two to accompany the Abbey grounds.

In the year 1191, monks dug up a grave and within it they discovered the bodies of King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere. The plaque that was found with these bodies, declaring them to be the King and Queen from legend was later determined to be wrote in a Latin that was not used at the time Arthur is said to have reigned. A more likely explanation is that the Abbey had fallen on some hard times ( due to an earthquake if memory serves me correctly). This "discovery" was exploited in order to gain pilgrims and therefore their money.
That being said, I prefer to believe for the sake of believing that Glastonbury, or the Isle of Avalon, truly is the final resting place of this mythological king.


A little mystery in life is good for ones soul after all.

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