Shrine Of St Augustine & National Pugin Centre, Ramsgate

Official Facebook page of the Shrine of St Augustine & National Pugin Centre. Part of the Catholic Parish of Ramsgate & Minster.
The personal church of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, the renowned Catholic, gothic revival architect.
HLF funded.

St Augustine's is a building unique in importance to England's heritage and culture. It is dedicated to the first missionary to come to England, and was built by the man who defined architecture across the world.


ST AUGUSTINE

St Augustine of England landed very close to this site in 597AD, bringing Christianity to England. He had been sent on a mission by Pope Gregory the Great and, having landed on Thanet, met King Ethelbert. The queen, Bertha, was from France and already a Christian. St Augustine eventually baptised King Ethelbert, and by Christmas more than 10, 000 people had been baptised. Both St Augustine and St Ethelbert were against any forced conversion.

By the success of his mission, St Augustine changed English society: England became a Christian country, which is the foundation of our modern culture. St Augustine's mission enabled the first written laws of modern Britain, brought music and literature to our shores, and great learning.

Comparatively little is known about St Augustine the person: in death, as in life, he makes way and points to Christ. He is our great patron in heaven who, along with Pope Gregory, had a particular fondness for the English peoples.


AUGUSTUS PUGIN

Augustus Pugin (1812-1852) was the leading light of the Gothic Revival, which has shaped buildings for over two centuries.

Pugin is most famous for designing large parts of the Houses of Parliament. Between 1844 and his death in 1852 he poured his efforts and money into building his ultimate design: St Augustine's. He built his house next door, then this - the only church that was not directed by patrons.

Pugin was driven by his philosophy of "true principles" which linked the ideas of morality and society with architecture. He believed a strong society of community and charity would be created through his architectural vision. His vision was of medieval England and its beautiful Gothic buildings.

He had strong Catholic faith, to which he had converted in 1835 at the age of 23. His religion probably cost him many commissions, and much of the recognition that his Houses of Parliament work should have brought him.

Having worked on the reconstruction of parts of Windsor Castle at the age of 15, Pugin went on to create well over 200 designs in his 40 years of life. Many of these were made in a single six year period. He designed buildings in their entirety: from the structure, to the decorations, to the wallpaper, to the floors, to the doorknobs. St Augustine's, by his own declaration, is the pinnacle and model of his work.


This place is, as Pugin put it, "where Blessed Austin landed".


EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND VISITOR CENTRE --- SOMETHING BIG IN RAMSGATE

In summer 2015, the Heritage Lottery Fund granted St Augustine's money to to create a brand new Centre for pilgrims, visitors, and scholars. It will be housed in the Schoolroom and Library that Pugin built next to the cloisters.

Visit the HLF website here: www. hlf.org. uk

The Visitor Centre will be a multi-use area, with displays for education about St Augustine and Augustus Pugin. It will have multimedia facilities and space for group use.

The cloister will be an area to display artefact and items associated with Pugin. St Augustine's already holds significant Pugin items, and they will become more accessible to the public.

The Library upstairs will become an archive and library focussed on Pugin and St Augustine. We are already receiving many Pugin and Pugin-related manuscripts, and these will become available, by appointment to researchers.


THE SHRINE

St Augustine's was dedicated as the Shrine of St Augustine of England by His Grace Archbishop of Southwark Peter Smith on 1st March 2012.

The Shrine contains a small piece of bone, one of the last surviving parts of St Augustine's body, which was returned to England in the nineteenth century. It was generously given to St Augustine's by the Fathers of the Oxford Oratory.

The Shrine is the successor to the first shrine, which was at St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury. That abbey was founded by St Augustine - the first in England - and grew into one of the premier monasteries of the land. It was closed and destroyed in 1538 under Henry VIII, and the site was turned into a royal palace. Parts of the church and north-western tower are still standing, and the site is now under the care of English Heritage.


RESTORATION OF ST AUGUSTINE'S

Pugin gave St Augustine's to the Diocese of Southwark before his death in 1852. In 1856 Bishop Thomas Grant invited Benedictine monks from Italy to move to his diocese, and gave them the use of St Augustine's. The first abbot, Wilfrid Alcock, at first lived in St Edward's, the presbytery next door, and the monastery across the road was built c. 1860. The monks were integral to the local area and founded many parishes. The monks moved to Chilworth, Surrey, at the end of 2010, and St Augustine's returned to the use of the archdiocese.

The church was in very poor condition in 2010. The roofs were in great need of repair, and there were structural concerns, as well as urgently-needed stonework. Electricity was a particular concern.

In 2011 the Friends of St Augustine was formed, and English Heritage has supported substantial restoration works. Other organisations have very generous helped St Augustine's to raise enough money to carry out the works.

This restoration continues and needs your help. Please donate at the link above to safeguard St Augustine's for the future.


DAILY LIFE AT ST AUGUSTINE'S

St Augustine's is open every day from 10am until 4pm and welcomes all.

Mass is celebrated every day at St Augustine's at 12 noon.
Sunday Masses are at 8. 30am and 12 noon.
Masses at St Augustine's are celebrated in both Latin and English, and in both the Extraordinary and Ordinary forms of the Latin Rite.

There are daily religious devotions following Mass. These are detailed in the Shrine's prayer book.

Sunday Mass is sung by the Victoria Consort, who provide the Shrine with a very high standard of musical life.

Throughout the year there are talks and concerts held in the church.


Open: every day, 10am - 4pm
Mass: 12 noon daily, also 8. 30am on Sundays
Pilgrimages and Group Visits: welcome, please contact pilgrimage@augustineshrine. co. uk



"[Augustine] brought a joyful message, which most undoubtedly assured to those that hearkened to it everlasting joys in heaven, and a kingdom that would never end, with the living and true God. " - Bede, HE, I. xxv

St Augustine, Apostle of the English, pray for us.