St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough facts for kids
Saint Michael's Abbey Church
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 Location in Hampshire
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| Monastery information | |
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| Other names | Farnborough Abbey |
| Order | Order of Saint Benedict |
| Established | 1881 |
| Dedicated to | Saint Michael the Archangel |
| Diocese | Portsmouth |
| Controlled churches | Saint Michael's Abbey Church |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Empress Eugénie |
| Abbot | Dom Cuthbert Brogan |
| Important associated figures | |
| Site | |
| Location | Farnborough, Hampshire, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°17′48″N 0°44′59″W / 51.296645°N 0.749662°W |
| Grid reference | SU873560 |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | https://farnboroughabbey.org |
Saint Michael's Abbey, also known as Abbaye Saint-Michel in French, is a special place where Benedictine monks live and pray. It's located in Farnborough, England. The monks here are known for their beautiful singing during church services, which is done in Latin with Gregorian chant. They also have a wonderful pipe organ and publish religious books. This abbey is also famous for holding a special statue of Saint Joseph.
You can visit the abbey on Saturdays at 3 PM. The tour includes a look at the church and a visit to the crypt, which is an underground room.
Contents
History of Saint Michael's Abbey
How the Abbey Was Founded
After the Second French Empire ended in 1870, Napoleon III, who was the Emperor of France, his wife Empress Eugénie, and their son, the Prince Imperial, had to leave France. They moved to England. Emperor Napoleon III passed away in 1873 and was first buried in a church in Chislehurst.
Later, in 1879, the Prince Imperial also passed away. Empress Eugénie was very sad and wanted to create a special memorial for her family.
A Place of Prayer and Rest
In 1881, Empress Eugénie started building Saint Michael's Abbey. She wanted it to be a mausoleum, which is a building that holds tombs, for her husband and son. She hoped it would be a quiet place for prayer. The Abbey has an Imperial Crypt, which is an underground burial chamber. It looks like the crypt at Saint-Denis basilica near Paris, where the Emperor had wanted to be buried.
Empress Eugénie was later buried next to her husband and son. All three rest in large stone coffins called sarcophagi. These were given by Queen Victoria, who was the Queen of England at the time.
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The sarcophagus of Emperor Napoleon III
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The sarcophagus of Empress Eugénie
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The sarcophagus of Napoléon, Prince Imperial
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Architecture and Early Monks
The Abbey Church was designed by a famous French architect named Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur. It has a fancy Gothic style. Inside, you can find a large bone of St Alban, who is an important saint in England.
When the church and monastery were first built, they were looked after by a different group of religious people called Premonstratensian Canons. But in 1895, Empress Eugénie brought in French Benedictine monks from St Peter's Abbey, Solesmes. A well-known scholar named Dom Fernand Cabrol became the leader of the monks. Other scholars also joined the abbey, and they worked together on many important studies.
The Abbey's Organ and Community Changes
The church's organ, which has two keyboards, was put in place in 1905. It was built by a famous company called Aristide Cavaillé-Coll & Company. This organ is very special and shows excellent craftsmanship.
Over time, the number of monks at the abbey became very small by 1947. Many of the monks moved to other Benedictine houses. However, Farnborough Abbey was later re-established with a small group of English monks from Prinknash Abbey. The last French monk, Dom Leopold Zerr, who was the abbey's organist for many years, passed away in 1956. In 2006, the monks chose their first English Abbot, Dom Cuthbert Brogan.
Catholic National Library
The Catholic Central Library started after the First World War. For many years, it was looked after by the Graymoor Friars in Westminster. In 2007, the library moved to Saint Michael's Abbey. It was then renamed the Catholic National Library. This library has one of the best collections of Roman Catholic books in England. In 2015, the books were moved again to Durham University Library.
National Shrine to Saint Joseph
The National Shrine to Saint Joseph is a special place at Saint Michael's Abbey that the monks care for. There is a statue of Saint Joseph in a small chapel inside the monastery church. This statue used to belong to the Mill Hill Fathers.
In 1874, Pope Pius IX gave special permission for the statue to have a canonical coronation, which is a special crowning ceremony. This ceremony was performed by Cardinal Manning.
Later, in 2006, the college where the statue was located closed. So, Farnborough Abbey agreed to take care of the statue and altars from the shrine. The current National Shrine was set up at the abbey in 2008. Another statue of Saint Joseph from the Mill Hill property was sent to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
