Not long ago, my friend and fellow blogger Nigel Borrington did a post on  Kilcooley Abbey, a Cistercian Abbey in County Tipperary, Ireland.  Nigel is an artist and professional photographer whose images of the Irish landscape and knowledge of its history are not to be missed. Please do yourself a favor and check out his blog!

I really loved Nigel’s Kilcooley post as I had visited England and France this past spring and found the religious structures incredibly beautiful and fascinating in their history – especially the lesser known churches that dot the English countryside.  Although Westminster is the most famous of England’s abbeys, I found the simplicity of the small churches to be just as intriguing.  They are remote and peaceful; austere yet humble. You can stand in the nave of canons priory, for example, and imagine this place in the thirteenth century – the monks communing in silence as they prayed, read, fished, meditated, held services.

It’s high summer in the Midwest. The sun is blazing down and the air is thick with humidity. I thought it would be nice, then, to revisit the cool spring afternoon of the English countryside.

The light was low on the day we visited, and these are mobile phone images, so please excuse the poor quality.

I want to thank Nigel for his encouragement and support. He answers my questions with patience and wisdom. He is generous and kind with his feedback of not just my blog but other fellow bloggers on WordPress as well.  So thank you, Nigel!

🙂