abbey
Cloister with church
An abbey is a building or complex where monks or nuns live under religious vows, or the community itself.
The term also applies to churches that were once part of such communities but continue as places of worship after the monastic community dissolved: Westminster Abbey.
The abbey's cloisters were peaceful in the early morning. (Capitalized Abbey is a given name.)
Religious seclusion dwelling
- prioryLesser monastic house
- conventReligious sisters' dwelling
- friaryMendicant monks' residence
- cloisterCovered monastic walkway
monk · nun · novitiate · scriptorium · refectory · dormitory · chapter house · cell
Formal worship structure
- massQuantity of matter
- prayerAddress to deity
- psalmsReligious songs of praise
- breviaryDaily prayer compilation
evensong · chant · pilgrimage · reliquary · altar · sacrament · contemplation · meditation
Church's main interior
- transeptChurch's lateral wing
- apseVaulted church recess
- chancelAltar-adjacent clergy space
- cloisterCovered monastic walkway
flying buttress · vaulted ceiling · stained glass · rose window · bell tower · spire · pointed arch · tracery
Breaking up completely
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- excavationAct of unearthing
conservation · remains · crumbling · overgrown · stonework · foundations · restoration · preserved
Place of safety
- havenShelter from danger
- shelterProtected place or structure
- retreatSanctuary or withdrawal
- asylumShelter from persecution
solace · respite · protection · peace · sanctuary · consecrated · holy place
monastery
Religious seclusion dwelling
cloister · monk · nun · novitiate · scriptorium · refectory · dormitory · chapter house · cell · vows
liturgy
Formal worship structure
breviary · evensong · chant · pilgrimage · reliquary · altar · sacrament · contemplation · meditation · worship
nave
Church's main interior
cloister · flying buttress · vaulted ceiling · stained glass · rose window · bell tower · spire · pointed arch · tracery · gargoyle
dissolution
Breaking up completely
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
excavation · conservation · remains · crumbling · overgrown · stonework · foundations · restoration · preserved · fountains
refuge
Place of safety
asylum · solace · respite · protection · peace · sanctuary · consecrated · holy place
- Medieval Europekings, queens, knights, castles, castle
- British Architecturemanor house, terraced house, terraced houses, semi-detached, detached house
- churchesBaptist church, Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Baptist churches, Lutheran Church
- landmarkspyramids, lighthouse, national monument, Colosseum, Eiffel Tower
- Novel settingsParis, London, Rome, Venice, Vienna
- religious buildingsashram, basilica, chapel, convent, friary
abbeyparish church
Local community worship building
cathedral · chapel · rectory · village church · vicarage
abbeymarketplace
Venue for commerce
courthouse · commercial building · factory · tavern · brothel
- Downton AbbeyBritish period drama series
- Westminster AbbeyHistoric London royal church
- Abbey RoadLondon recording studio street
- Abbey Road StudiosHistoric London recording facility
- medieval abbeyHistoric monastic religious community
- ruined abbeyDestroyed religious house remains