Selby Abbey

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Selby Abbey
The West End and Central tower from SW
Dedication	St Mary the Virgin and St Germain
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Broad Church
Administration
Parish	Selby
Deanery	Selby
Archdeaconry	York
Diocese	York
Province	York
Clergy
Canon	Rev Roy Matthews (retired)
Curate	Rev Gareth Wardell
Priest	Rev Canon Keith Richards
Assistant Priest	Rev Robb Wainwright
Other
Organist/Director of Music	Dr Roger Tebbet
Website	www.selbyabbey.com/

Anglicanism Portal

Selby Abbey is an Anglican parish church in the town of Selby, North Yorkshire. It is one of the relatively few surviving abbey churches of the medieval period, and, although not a cathedral, is one of the biggest. It was founded by Benedict in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family.

1 Architecture
- 1.1 Current Restoration
2 Bishop of Selby
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Architecture

Like York Minster, the church rests on a base of sand and has suffered from subsidence. Many sections collapsed entirely during the 17th century, and further serious damage was done by a fire of 1906 which melted the bells in the central tower. Nevertheless, extensive rebuilding and refurbishment has made the church one of the most impressive in the country. The tower is Norman, but the eastern end is in Decorated Gothic style, and the west front a mixture of Norman, Gothic and Victorian.

The interior bears some similarity to that of Durham Cathedral, on which the design was modelled. Richly-carved and moulded capitals are found throughout the church. A major feature is the east window, which contains original medieval glass and depicts the Tree of Jesse, a popular subject of that period. The chancel stonework is thought to have been designed by Henry Yevele.

A notable feature of the abbey is the 14th century Washington Window, featuring the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The design featuring three red stars above two red bands on a white shield is said to have been the model for the US flag.

[edit] Current Restoration

The Abbey is currently undergoing an extensive restoration, costing several million pounds. Stage 6, the restoration of the Scriptorium is underway at a cost of £795,000. The £400,000 cost of restoring the South Choir Aisle and the 'Washington Window' was met in full by British American Tobacco.^[1]