Holy Cross Abbey, Stapehill, Dorset
The Abbey House dates to the early 19th century and the monastic buildings to the 1840s. The church was built in 1847-51 and designed by Charles Hansom. The Cistercian community at Stapehill, Dorset was originally founded in October 1802, by a small group of nuns. They had fled the horror of the French Revolution, seeking asylum in England. The property, including a farm and farm-land, became too big for the community to manage and in 1989 it was sold. The cemetery contains a memorial cross of 1844 by Pugin, commemorating the abbess Mde.de Chabannes.
