Dissolution of the Monasteries
As a young man, who had recently accepted Jesus Christ and his personal Lord and Savior, gazed upon the ruins of an English monastery, he thought, “How inspiring to see this monument to the ancient glories of Christianity – yet how sad to note the relentless effects of time that have brought this mighty structure so low.”
St. Mary’s Abbey, Yorkshire (founded 1139, dissolved 1539)
Then the young man imagined Christian men and women, young and old, lifting their voices in praise to God in these once thriving communities. He inwardly bowed his head in honor of those who possessed so little but sacrifices so much to raise these holy centers of Christian worship – they surely gave their best out of sincerest love for our Savior.
Westminster Abbey, London (founded 960, dissolved 1550, reformed 1552)
He then thought about the many thousands of people who were moved by the Holy Spirit to exchange the temporal pleasures of secular life for the eternal rewards of communal devotion to Christ through prayer, meditation, education, labor, and care for the less fortunate. He realized that these ruined monasteries memorialize the lives of millions of ancient saints – monastics and laity alike.
The Lord’s Supper, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, Northern Ireland
Then, as the young man learned more about the monasteries, he noticed that descriptions include a recurring word – “dissolved 1536,” “dissolved 1537,” “dissolved 1538,” and “dissolved 1539.” Horror began to flood the young man’s thoughts as he realized that a tyrant rather than time had brought down these once magnificent testaments to the glory and majesty of God.[1]
Henry VIII, King of England (1491-1547)
As he read further, he discovered that, in 1527, Henry VIII, King of England, asked Pope Clement VII for permission to annul his eighteen-year marriage with Katherine of Aragon. The Pope refused; and, in response, Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church, declared himself to be the supreme head of a newly created Church of England, annulled his marriage with Katherine of Aragon, and married Anne Boleyn.[2]
Yet, Henry VIII’s acts of defiance did not resolve his marital or religious unhappiness. For, by the end of his life, Henry VIII had married six wives, annulling two marriages, beheading two wives, losing one wife to postnatal complications, and leaving one wife a widow when he died. And, soon after its creation, the Church of England began to splinter, resulting in the emergence of multiple Protestant denominations, including Puritans (1608), Baptists (1609), Congregationalists (1620), Society of Friends (1647), Presbyterians (1642), Methodists (1738), and a myriad of denominational sub-factions.
Six Wives of Henry VIII – Katherine of Aragon Died in Prison, Anne Boleyn was Beheaded, Jane Seymour Died of Postnatal Complications, Anne of Cleves Outlived Henry VIII after Her Marriage was Annulled, Katherine Howard was Beheaded; and Katherine Parr Outlived Henry VIII
Further sealing his break with the Catholic Church, between 1536 and 1541, Henry VIII dissolved some 845 Catholic monasteries, dispersing monastic communities, tearing down buildings, and appropriating assets. In so doing, Henry VIII enriched himself by approximately $154 million in today’s currency.[3]
Henry VIII Dissolved Some 845 Catholic Houses, Enriching Himself by about $154 Million in Today’s Currency
During his assault on the Catholic Church, Henry VIII displaced some 12,000 Catholic men and women, including 4,000 monks, 3,000 canons, 3,000 friars, and 2,000 nuns, as well as countless monastic residents, compelling them all to swear allegiance to Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England, secularize, and disperse, or face execution for the crime of treason. The number of men and women who refused to renounce their Catholic faith is impossible to say for a lack of records.
Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire (founded 1132, dissolved 1539)
Since monasteries were not only centers of worship, but also places of learning, philanthropy, medical care, and more, the dissolution of the monasteries had an immediate and devastating effect on English society. State institutions, in time, replaced the Church as the instrument to meet these social needs. Yet, one wonders if the state was equipped for the task – contemporaries were doubtful.[4]
Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset (founded 712, dissolved 1539) and Netley Abbey, Hampshire (founded 1239, dissolved 1537)
Some may argue that Henry VIII had a right to destroy and appropriate the monasteries, since in England’s feudal system everything in the realm belonged to the king. Yet, we must remember that Magna Carta guarantees private property rights.[5] Others may plead that previous kings – the ancestors of Henry VIII – were the ones who built the monasteries. But this is untrue. Funding for the construction and maintenance of monasteries came from donations by the local bishop, chapter (prebendary canons), diocese, clergy, laity, and the Pope in Rome. In sum, the Catholic faithful freely gave the resources, skill, and labor to build and sustain England’s monasteries.[6]
Furthermore, monasteries were graced with more than spectacular architecture. Henry VIII also destroyed and appropriated priceless paintings, sketches, statues, carvings, metalwork, tapestries, stained glass, relics, vessels, manuscripts (including ancient writings from both religious and classical authors), and so much more – all produced, donated, and dedicated to the honor and glory of God.[7]
Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire (founded 1132, dissolved 1538) and Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire (founded 1131, dissolved 1536)
Conclusion
When Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church, declared himself to be the supreme head of the Church of England, and then destroyed Catholic monasteries throughout the realm, the English population had been Catholic for almost a thousand years – and most people were devoted to the Catholic faith.[8] So, we wonder what spiritual effect Henry VIII’s actions had on the nation. A recent survey shows that, over the years, church membership in England has plummeted to about 4.3% of the population.[9] Is there a direct link between Henry VIII’s actions and the widespread malaise toward Christianity in England today? Whatever the answer to this question, we lament the dissolution of the monasteries, and we pray for God’s mercy on those who did these horrible things.
Jesus said: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:18-20)
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[1] The National Archives Education Service, UK, Discover the Dissolution, https://arcg.is/1WaSaW
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] William Cobbett, A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1897). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GWY7KML
[5] National Archives and Records Administration, Magna Carta Translation, “(29) No freeman is to be taken or imprisoned or disseized of his free tenement or of his liberties or free customs, or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go against such a man or send against him save by lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land. To no-one will we sell or deny of delay right or justice.” https://www.archives.gov/files/press/press-kits/magna-carta/magna-carta-translation.pdf
[6] Win Vroom, translated by Elizabeth Manton, Financing Cathedral Building in the Middle Ages: The Generosity of the Faithful (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2010). https://www.amazon.com/dp/9089640355
[7] For more on the contributions of monasteries to education, reason, medicine, botany, mechanics, agriculture, and more, see: Rodney Stark, Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2016). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F57R0LO
[8] Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IUMZDNO
[9] Christianity in the UK, Measuring the Christian Population in the UK, https://faithsurvey.co.uk/uk-christianity.html#:~:text=If%20current%20trends%20continue%2C%20membership,of%20the%20population%20by%202025.&text=In%20England%2C%20membership%20is%20forecast,all%20saw%20falls%20in%20membership