Austin Friars, Medieval monastery in City of London, England
Austin Friars was a large monastery in the City of London that contained a church surrounded by gardens, residential quarters, and study halls arranged across an extensive compound. The site housed numerous buildings where friars lived and conducted their daily religious and scholarly activities.
The monastery was founded in the 1260s after a nobleman returned from a major military campaign abroad. It stood for about 270 years before being closed down in the middle of the 1500s.
The monastery served as a gathering place where friars taught and studied theological works in a shared community space. The Dutch Church that emerged later on the same grounds reflects how the site continued to serve people seeking spiritual connection.
The original site is now covered with modern office buildings, but visitors can still walk through the area and explore the history of the place. The Dutch Church nearby continues to operate and offers a connection to the spiritual use of the location throughout its past.
During a major social uprising in 1381, foreigners who had sought shelter within the monastery's walls were killed by a violent crowd. This event shows how the monastery became a focal point where different tensions in the city came together.
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