Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey

Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey refers to the paired monastic foundations at Monkwearmouth (near Sunderland) and Jarrow in North-East England, closely associated with the Venerable Bede. The two communities together formed a major Anglo-Saxon centre of learning from the late 7th century.

Surviving elements include two early stone churches, monastic ruins and museum displays that interpret the sites’ archaeological remains and the life of Bede. The area presents structural fabric and artifacts from the Anglo-Saxon period alongside later medieval and modern repairs.

The Monkwearmouth foundation was established in 674 and Jarrow in 682 by the Northumbrian noble and churchman Benedict Biscop; the scholar Bede lived and worked at Jarrow in the late 7th and early 8th centuries, producing his influential historical and theological writings there. Over centuries the houses changed, declined and were partially rebuilt, and the sites are now preserved as historic and archaeological monuments.

The two sites stand on the north-eastern coast of England in Tyne and Wear and in County Durham respectively, close to the River Wear and the town of Jarrow, within reach of Sunderland and Newcastle.

• Early foundation dates: The twin foundations at Monkwearmouth and Jarrow were established in the late 7th century and form one of the earliest monastic complexes in Anglo-Saxon England.

What to See #

• St Peter's, Monkwearmouth: St Peter's Church at Monkwearmouth is an Anglo-Saxon stone church founded in the 7th century and retains early medieval architectural fabric.
• St Paul's, Jarrow: St Paul's Church at Jarrow is an Anglo-Saxon foundation dating from the late 7th century and is associated with the scholar Bede.