St Augustine's Abbey - Benedictine Abbey in Canterbury (Kent). William Thorne - Abbey chronicler, who lived at the end of the XIV century - indicates that it was founded in the year 598. The founder of the Abbey - St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, after which it was subsequently named. Since its foundation, the abbey served as the burial place of the Archbishops of Canterbury and King of Kent. Many burial survived to this day and have attracted many tourists.

At the end of the tenth century, Archbishop Dunstan rebuilding the abbey again and the original Anglo-Saxon buildings have been completely replaced by majestic buildings in the Romanesque style. In XIII - XIV century. added numerous Gothic buildings.

Like many others like him, the abbey of St. Augustine throughout its history was the center of education. It was founded by the oldest, according to some sources, the Royal School and the Library of the Abbey numbered 2,000 volumes - unthinkable at the time the figure! Many books have been created by scribes of the abbey.

But in the days of the Reformation, the abbey was dissolved by decree of King Henry VIII and rebuilt under the palace of Queen Anne of Cleves. Gradually the buildings were destroyed, and only in the XIX century began to make some efforts for its conservation and restoration.

Today, the abbey of St. Augustine made the UNESCO World Heritage list. Every year it is visited by thousands of tourists.