A Hidden Gem in Rural Essex...

Today, our Sub-Prior and Novice Master, Fr Stephen, took our Novice, Br Gildas, to visit the ancient church of St Michael and All Saints, Copford. This hidden gem in rural Essex is famous for its beautifully preserved 12th century murals, which were whitewashed during the Reformation and rediscovered in recent times. Our Order was founded in the 12th century, and many of these paintings date back to the very earliest years of foundations such as Beeleigh Abbey -- a local Norbertine house suppressed under Henry VIII and of which our Prior, Abbot Hugh, is now the Titular Abbot.