St Augustine's Church, Ramsgate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Augustine's Church
Shrine of St Augustine of Canterbury Pugin's church of St Augustine
Church with cloister attached
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	TR3766864329
Location	Ramsgate, Kent
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	http://www.augustine-pugin.org.uk
History
Status	Shrine Church; Education, Research, and Visitor Centre
Founded	1846 (1846)
Founder(s)	Augustus Pugin
Dedication	St Augustine of Canterbury and Our Lady of Sorrows
Consecrated	1884
Cult(s) present	St Augustine of Canterbury
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Designated	4 February 1988
Architect(s)	Augustus Pugin
Style	Gothic
Years built	1846–52
Administration
Parish	Ramsgate and Minster
Deanery	Thanet
Archdiocese	Southwark

St Augustine's Church in Ramsgate, Kent, is a Roman Catholic church. It is also known as the Shrine of St Augustine of Canterbury. This church was designed by Augustus Pugin, a very famous architect from the 1800s.

Pugin built this church as his own personal church. It shows off his amazing design ideas. He started building it in 1846 and worked on it until he died in 1852. His sons finished many of his plans. Pugin is buried here in a special vault, along with some of his family members.

History of St Augustine's Church

St Augustine's Arrival in England

St Augustine first brought Christianity to England in AD 597. He landed very close to where St Augustine's Church stands today. After he died around 604 AD, his burial place became a special shrine. This shrine was changed and moved over many centuries.

The Original Shrine's Destruction

Sadly, the original shrine was destroyed in 1538. This happened because King Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell ordered the destruction of many religious buildings. St Augustine's remains in Canterbury were also destroyed. However, some small parts of his relics (holy items) had been sent to other parts of Europe as gifts before this happened.

Pugin's Vision for the Church

The famous architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin built St Augustine's Church. He is best known for designing parts of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Pugin built this church between 1845 and his death in 1852. It is the only church he paid for himself. Experts say it shows his personal style and ideas perfectly.

Pugin bought the land in Ramsgate in 1843. He planned to build his home first, then the church. He moved into his house, called The Grange, in 1844. The next year, he started building St Augustine's. He gave the church to the local Catholic Church leaders in 1846.

Pugin loved Ramsgate because his aunt lived there. He also loved the sea and sailing. Most importantly, he felt a strong connection to St Augustine. St Augustine had landed nearby on the Isle of Thanet. Pugin wrote that this was "where blessed Austin landed."

Building the Church and School

When Pugin built the church, his land was on the edge of Ramsgate. His painting, A True Prospect, shows countryside around the site.

The first part of the project to be finished was the schoolroom in 1846. This building was used as the first public Catholic church in Ramsgate since the Reformation. Pugin also ran a free school for local children here. This school later became part of St Augustine's College.

Pugin legally gave the entire project to the Catholic Church leaders in 1846. He wanted the Church to own the property as soon as possible. Today, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark owns it.

The rest of the east side of the building was completed in 1846. This included rooms upstairs and the sacristy (where priests prepare for Mass). The main church building was slowly built and had its roof by 1849. This included a special chapel where Pugin planned to be buried.

Challenges and Completion

Pugin designed St Augustine's to face east, which is a traditional church direction. This means the priest and people face the sunrise during Mass. To make the church long, Pugin built right up to his property line. He tried to buy a small piece of land next door to protect the light for his large east window. The neighbor, Matthew Habershon, made Pugin pay a lot of money for the land. Habershon then built a tall building that blocked light from Pugin's window.

Pugin died on September 14, 1852, at The Grange. Just hours before, he had visited St Augustine's and said how beautiful it was. The church and eastern side were mostly finished when he died. His sons, Edward and Peter Paul Pugin, completed the north and west cloisters and their chapels. The Digby Chantry Chapel was built in 1859. St Joseph's Chapel was built in 1893. The central tower and spire of the church were never fully completed.

Monks and the Shrine's Restoration

In 1856, Bishop Thomas Grant invited monks to Ramsgate. Dom Wilfrid Alcock, an English monk, came from Italy to start a monastery here. The monks used St Augustine's as their abbey church from 1856 until 2011. In 2011, they moved their community to Chilworth, Surrey.

On March 1, 2012, Archbishop Peter Smith officially made St Augustine's the shrine of St Augustine of England. This happened 474 years after the original shrine was destroyed. Priests from the Oxford Oratory donated a relic, which is believed to be a bone from St Augustine.

Exploring the Site

The Schoolroom

This is the oldest part of the site, built by Pugin. It was used as the church until the main church was finished. Pugin ran a free school for poor children here. Later, it was used by St Augustine's College. This area is now an Education and Visitor Centre.

The Sacristy

This is a room where the priest gets ready for Mass and other church services.

The Upper Sacristy

This room is used for storage. It will become part of the Research Centre.

The Library

This room was once called the Abbot's Chapel. It was the private chapel for the abbot when monks lived here. It is also thought to have been the first dormitory for St Augustine's College students. This room will also be part of the Research Centre.

The Tower

This tower was built by Augustus Pugin. It has the Sacred Heart altar, designed by his son, Peter Paul Pugin. The tower contains a bell.

The Cloisters

The word cloister means 'enclosed'. Cloisters are common in monasteries. They are covered walkways where monks could pray and work. Pugin's cloisters at St Augustine's are enclosed with walls and windows. They surround a small garden called a garth.

East Cloister

Augustus Pugin built this cloister. It is next to the schoolroom. This area will become part of the Education, Research, and Visitor Centre.

North Cloister

Pugin's son, Edward Pugin, finished this cloister in 1860 after his father died. Much of the money came from Kenelm Henry Digby. It includes St Joseph's Chapel and the Chapel of St John the Evangelist. Along the north wall are painted terracotta Stations of the Cross, made in 1893.

West Cloister

Edward Pugin also built this cloister. It leads from the road to the main church entrance. You can find the entrances to the Garth and the Digby Chantry Chapel here.

St Joseph's Chapel

Viscountess Southwell donated this chapel in 1893. She did this to celebrate her son becoming an adult. Her son had studied at the monks' school here.

Digby Chantry Chapel (Chapel of St John the Evangelist)

This chapel was built as a burial place for Kenelm Henry Digby. He was a famous Victorian writer and a friend of Pugin. Although many of his family members are buried here, Digby himself is buried elsewhere. The chapel cost £2,500 in 1859. A skull believed to be from an early Christian martyr, St Benignus, was placed here in 1859. It was later moved but returned to the chapel in 2015.

The Nave

This is the main part of the church. The word nave comes from the Latin word for 'ship'. This is because the Church is sometimes seen as a ship guiding people towards Christ. Here you can see beautiful things like the baptismal font, stained glass windows, and detailed stonework.

Pugin Chantry Chapel (Chapel of St Stephen and St Lawrence)

This chapel is above the vault where Pugin and his family are buried. A statue of Pugin, designed by his son Edward, is on the south wall. Above it is the "Augustine Window," put in in 1861 to remember Pugin. This window tells the story of St Augustine. It shows him being sent by the pope, landing in Thanet, and starting his monastery. At the bottom, Pugin and his three wives are shown.

This chapel also has the altar that Pugin used in his own home chapel. It was moved here in the 1930s. The painted reredos (a screen behind the altar) was a gift.

Lady Chapel

This chapel has stained glass that Pugin showed at the Great Exhibition in 1851. The Lady Altar is a beautiful piece of stonework. The Blessed Sacrament is kept here.

This chapel also has wooden screens that used to separate parts of the church. These screens are very important to Pugin's designs. They will be put back in their original places soon.

The Chancel

This is at the east end of the church. It is where the main altar is and where Mass is celebrated. The choir stalls are also here. The organ is above the chancel on the north side.

Shrine of St Augustine

A special relic (a small piece of bone) of St Augustine is kept in a shrine. This shrine is on the north side of the church, near the chancel.

Importance of the Site

The writer Clive Aslet has suggested that this site should be a World Heritage Site.

This church is part of a bigger plan Pugin had. His house, the priest's house, and the monastery across the road all work together. This shows Pugin's ideas for a good society. He wanted a community where a church, monastery, and kind people helped with education, healthcare, and spiritual care. Because Pugin paid for it himself, this site truly shows his principles and values. The woodwork, metalwork, stonework, tiles, and stained glass are all very important here.

The Shrine of St Augustine of England

The first shrine to St Augustine was created around AD 604 when he died. It was at his monastery church in Canterbury. This shrine became very popular. In 968, the monastery was rededicated to St Augustine.

In 1091, St Augustine's body was moved to a larger, specially built shrine. Records show how grand both his first and later shrines became. Kings, queens, nobles, and many ordinary people came to honor St Augustine, who was called "Apostle of the English."

In 1538, St Augustine's Abbey was closed as part of the English Reformation. This ended nearly 1,000 years of monastic life there. Most of St Augustine's body and shrine were destroyed. However, some small relics had been taken from his body over time and survived elsewhere.

In 2012, priests from the Oxford Oratory gave a small piece of bone, believed to be from St Augustine, to St Augustine's Church. On March 1, 2012, Archbishop Peter Smith officially made St Augustine's the shrine of St Augustine of England. This happened 474 years after the original shrine was destroyed.

Special Days and Events

Here are some important days celebrated at St Augustine's:

• 25 February – St Ethelbert
• 12 March – St Gregory the Great (traditional feast day)
• 26 May – St Augustine of Canterbury (traditional feast day in England)
• 27 May – St Augustine of Canterbury
• 13 July – St Mildred
• 3 September – St Gregory the Great
• 15 September – Our Lady of Sorrows

Other important days:

• 1 March – Pugin's birthday (1812)
• 14 September – Pugin's death day (1852)

Each year, St Augustine's hosts two festival weeks. St Augustine Week is in late May, around St Augustine's Day. Pugin Week is held around Pugin's death day in September. These weeks celebrate these two important figures.

Education, Research, and Visitor Centre

In 2017, a new Education, Research, and Visitor Centre opened on the site. It teaches people about St Augustine and Augustus Pugin. It also highlights their important contributions to history and design.

The project received funding from many people and groups. The Heritage Lottery Fund provided most of the money.

Images for kids

• 

  Abbey cemetery from The Grange, Ramsgate

• 

  Chancel as rearranged in 1970

• 

  Pugin Chantry Chapel altar

See also

• St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate