Minster Abbey

Welcome to the St. Mary & St. Sexburga (Minster Abbey) Home page. Here you will find the latest news, upcoming events and everything to do with Minster Abbey.

Minster Abbey, also known as The Abbey Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Sexburgha, is a Grade 1 listed building and National Monument which was founded in 664 AD by Queen Sexburga.

Having been badly damaged in the 9th century it was rebuilt in the 12th century with an unusual arrangement of two adjacent “churches”, the Northern Church being for the nuns and the Southern Church for parishioners  During the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII the two adjacent churches led directly to the saving of the Abbey Church. Because the two churches shared a common wall and were linked by arches in the wall, the Abbey Church was spared the destruction wrought on the rest of the Abbey.

Amongst many other artefacts, it also houses the famous de Northwode brasses dating from 1330 and an interesting array of monuments dating from the 14th to the 16th century.

Minster Abbey occupies the highest hilltop position on the Isle of Sheppey and has been a place of worship for over 1,400 years.

The original Abbey Gatehouse, close to the church, is now an interesting local museum.