It is difficult to visualise, when looking at Selby Abbey today, that it was once a huge, rich Benedictine monastery, complete with chapel, cloisters, stables, brew-house, kitchen, workshops, dormitory, cellars, barns and an infirmary, all surrounded by high walls with a huge gateway. In fact possessed of all the amenities necessary to a great abbey complex. Building began shortly after the Norman conquest, but its foundation is said to originate with Germain, a French nobleman and soldier, who was born about ad 378.

As a young man Germain received training in Roman law and later was appointed governor of Armorica (an ancient region of France). He became a Christian and, in ad 418, was nominated Bishop of Auxerre.  In the role of bishop Germain visited England twice to help unite Christianity. He died shortly after his second visit in 448 and was given a magnificent funeral at Auxerre where his shrine became a pilgrimage centre.

More than six hundred years later a monk called Benedict (or Benoit) experienced a vision in Auxerre Abbey and received instructions from Saint Germain to go to Selby and build an abbey.

It seems likely that by then a small community of Anglo-Vikings was living on elevated ground beside the river Ouse at a place called Seleby.  Like many nearby villages Selby's name has both Saxon and Viking origins. The Sele element is derived from the Saxon word for willow copse while by is the Scandinavian word for a town.

Willows still grow and are still harvested on the river banks at Selby in much the same way as they would have been by the Vikings.  In those days it must have been a hostile place to live as the surrounding land consisted of marsh, moors and forest and, after William the Conqueror's successful invasion of southern England, the whole of Northumbria was in political turmoil.

William was crowned King of England on December 25th 1066, but the northern earls were not prepared to accept him as king. They rebelled and three times the Conqueror came north to suppress uprisings. On the third, and final occasion, he ordered his troops to devastate the whole of Northumbria. Crops were burned, towns and villages destroyed and many of the people killed.

In 1068, during this unrest, Queen Matilda is believed to have come to Selby where she gave birth to Henry, the Conqueror's youngest son.

About a year later the monk Benedict, after an adventurous journey from Auxerre with the dried finger of St. Germain, arrived at Selby to found the Abbey. He recognised the site from a scene in his vision, a vision which was confirmed when three swans alighted on the river. The swans became a symbol of Selby and are used on the Abbey's Coat of Arms.

Under a great oak called Strihac, growing on land in Selby owned by the king, Benedict set up a wooden cross. This was seen by Hugh, Sheriff of Yorkshire, who informed William I while he was celebrating Christmas in York.

The climate was right for Benedict to take full advantage of the situation. William the Conqueror believed himself to be a religious, as well as a political reformer. He had already founded Battle Abbey in the south in thanksgiving for his victory at Hastings, and the creation of an abbey at Selby, in thanksgiving for his victory over Northumbria, would be a natural conclusion.

The following year William I gave Benedict a charter granting him the site on which to build an abbey together with land at Flaxley, Brayton and Rawcliffe. These villages provided timber for constructing a wooden abbey, land for growing food and fish came from a fishery at Whitgift.

The Archbishop of York ordained Benedict as the first Abbot of Selby whose gathering of brothers was dedicated to

follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Benedict's Rules, which were introduced into Britain towards the end of the sixth century, laid down a strict way of life for the Brotherhood to follow. Monks were expected to devote their time to prayer and meditation while 'The Monastery should, if possible, be so arranged that all necessary things, such as water, mill, garden and various crafts are situated within the enclosure, so that the monks are not compelled to wander outside, for that is not at all expedient for their souls'.

Unfortunately two monks did wander taking with them some valuables from the abbey's treasury. The Abbot caught the offenders and ordered them to be castrated. This was regarded as inhuman punishment - even in those days - and Benedict was accused of cruelty. His prestige in the community and the respect of the monks deteriorated and he was forced to resign.

The morale of the monks became so low that they talked of leaving Selby but Henry I, William the Conqueror's youngest son, who according to tradition was born at Selby, intervened: he told the Archbishop and Sheriff of York that the Brotherhood was to remain in the town.

Abbot Hugh, who succeeded Benedict, realised a new beginning was needed and when a good supply of stone became available from a quarry at Monk Fryston, he decided to replace the wooden building with one of stone. He chose a new site too; the original abbey was on Church Hill, a short distance from where his building now stands.

Abbot Hugh's plan was to build a church in the shape of a cross - much as we see it today - with the nave as the stem of the cross, the transepts as the two arms, the choir (or chancel) as the top of the cross and a lofty tower was planned to rise from the intersection.

A waterway to transport stone the eight miles from Fryston quarry was constructed and progress on the Abbey went ahead with great speed.

Abbot Hugh worked alongside the labourers, and insisted on receiving similar wages; money which he gave to the poor. The result was that much of the building was completed in his life-time; only the nave remained unfinished.

The foundations for such a building are its most important feature and, though there have been problems, particularly with the tower, due credit must be given to the early builders for the fact that much of Abbot Hugh's Abbey still stands.

Selby Abbey is built on a high point of otherwise flat land. Even so, the water-table is only three feet below the surface. Above the water-table are about two feet of sand and a foot of topsoil.

In some sections stones or oak logs were placed three feet down on the wet sand to form foundations. In other places un-mortared stone was used below the water level. About a foot below the water-table is a layer of wet clay which was deposited during the last Ice Age. It is impervious, and water cannot drain through it. This impervious clay has caused the land around Selby to flood on many occasions when the river system has been unable to cope with an excess of water.

It is this clay which carries the weight of the abbey and, as weight was applied gradually during building, the water in the clay slowly squeezed out, leaving the clay hard and stable as it dried. However, when the tower was built, and weight was applied to the wet clay more quickly, the clay itself squeezed out and the tower began to sink.

The builders must have been dismayed as the arches in the nave nearest the tower cracked and became distorted

Eventually the tower settled and work continued on the rest of the building. The remaining pillars were added, as were the Norman doorways in the west and north walls, early in the 13th century.

As work progressed, the architecture became more refined. The earlier solid Norman pillars and arches gave way to more complex, elegant designs of the Early English period.

Sections of the southern gallery, with rows of slender columns which lead to the ceiling beams, are Early English in style. At this time too the upper part of the west front was finished off at roof level.

It took about 130 years to complete Abbot Hugh's plans and provide his followers with an Abbey which was to become one of the most influential in Yorkshire.

Much of the Abbey's income came as gifts from wealthy benefactors, often in the form of land and property. Tolls were paid to the Abbey which operated a ferry across the Ouse, and rent came from houses in the town. Land, often water-logged until drained by the monks, provided grain for the Abbey's barns and grazing for its animals.

The wool trade flourished and Selby developed as an important inland port, while the town's markets and fairs attracted visitors from all parts of the county.

Many local boys were educated at the Abbey's school to become monks and Abbots. Others went on and became men of influence such as Nicholas de Selby who was appointed Mayor of York and the city's first member of Parliament. Following the position as Dean of York, William de Hamilton became Lord Chancellor of England. Johannes de Selby, a successful merchant, was elected MP for London.

To present a picture of a flourishing monastery in a thriving town is only one part of the story. There were those who caused the Abbey to go through a very difficult phase.

Thomas de Whalley was appointed Abbot in the second half of the 13th century and within a few years he was being investigated for misconduct. He and several monks were accused of mismanaging the Abbey's funds, loose living and immorality. Quarrels broke out among the monks and some were attacked and wounded. Thomas de Whalley was finally banished to do penance at Durham.

When William de Aslakeby was appointed Abbot in 1280, the Abbey's fortunes improved and it was decided to enlarge the choir. The new choir was made sufficiently large to allow the old one to continue to be used while the new structure rose above it. With its completion, and addition of the east (or Jesse) window in the mid-14th-century, the interior of the church would have looked very much as it does today.

When Henry VIII, who inherited a large fortune, became nearly bankrupt, he saw an opportunity to replenish the Royal accounts from the riches possessed by the religious houses. The prizes were too tempting to ignore and proposals to dissolve the monasteries were hurriedly passed through Parliament. Lord Darcy, who supervised the North on behalf of the king and was Selby Abbey's High Steward, was unwilling to attend and give his vote to the scheme.

Charges of drunkenness, squandering money and immorality were made against abbots, nuns and monks. In March 1535, Parliament agreed that religious houses whose income did not exceed £200 were to be closed. The King's treatment of the smaller houses offended many people as nuns and monks were evicted, particularly in Yorkshire, which possessed the largest number of monasteries. When it was decided that the wealthier ones also should be disbanded, riots broke out and soon the North was in chaos.

A movement which became known as the 'Pilgrimage of Grace' was founded with the object of opposing the closures. It was led by Robert Aske, a respected lawyer and country gentleman from Aughton. The movement won the support of many leading families, including Sir Thomas Percy of Wressle and, after much heart searching, Lord Darcy.

The Pilgrimage succeeded in raising an army of 40,000 men who, after a gathering on Riccall Common, won over the people of York, Hull, Doncaster and Pontefract. Henry VIII dispatched the Duke of Norfolk to restore order and he made promises which satisfied Aske and his followers. With this they disbanded: but the king had no intention of keeping the promises.

Henry VIII completed his plans and closed the monasteries. Many men who opposed him were hung, drawn and quartered, the lucky ones were beheaded.

On 8th December 1539, five of Henry Mill's commissioners were staying in Selby and wrote: 'we have dissolved the houses of Hampole, Sancte Oswaldes, Pountefract, Fountaunce, Sancte Maries in Yowrke, Nonappleton and Selby'.

Unlike the abbots of Fountains and Rievaulx, who were beheaded for their part in the uprising, Robert Selby, the last Abbot, received a pension of £100 per annum. Robert Midgley, the Prior, £8, twenty-three monks between £5 and £6 each; and two novices 53/4d (approx £2.66).

Land was confiscated, valuables seized and buildings demolished. Some monasteries were given to loyal followers to become private mansions, others lay in ruins and survive today as tourist attractions.

In Selby the Abbot's house and many of the monastery buildings were pulled down or fell into ruin. The gateway (demolished 1806) and some barns remained for a number of years, but the church survived to become the parish church. It was unofficial at first, but in 1618, it became legal.

Long before the Reformation, the Abbey had fulfilled the needs of Selby people. Being Benedictine, as opposed to a Cistercian brotherhood which sought seclusion, the monastery was at the heart of the community and had encouraged the growth of the town around it.

Since the 13th century the townspeople had worshipped in the Abbey Church, their children were baptised in its font, some were taught in its school, many poor people were given food and shelter, the sick were tended in the infirmary and, when they died, found a resting place in its cemetery. It was a natural consequence that when the monks left, the people continued to use the church.

Deprived of its former income from rent and land, maintaining the structure became impossible. This caused the building's fabric to decay and the problems were aggravated by the outbreak of Civil War.

Sir Thomas Fairfax stayed in Selby during December 1642 when strong defences were made around the town. There was a skirmish the following year when royalist troops arrived from Cawood and confronted  Fairfax in the Market Place. During the winter of 1643 the royalist army used the Church to barrack troops and stable horses.

The following spring Fairfax attacked a strong royalist force which had taken up positions in Selby. There was much fighting in the town before the royalists were driven out and Selby was able to regain its peaceful existence.

At six o'clock, on the morning of March 30th, 1690, a combination of neglect and faulty foundations, contributed to the collapse of the upper part of the central tower. The south transept and part of the choir was demolished as masonry fell to the ground.

A bell tower of little architectural merit replaced the damaged tower in 1702, but it was a long time before other major repairs were completed. For many years the nave was used as a store for market stalls while services were held in the choir. Then, in 1871, Sir George Gilbert Scott was appointed to direct the much needed restoration on the nave.

John Oldrid Scott supervised work on the choir in 1890 and repaired some of the damage caused by the fall of the tower nearly two hundred years earlier. In 1902 it was discovered that the main tower's foundations were weak and it was necessary to reduce its height to save weight. But a worse catastrophe was in store.

that was left of the roof of the nave. The choir screen, like most of the ancient preciously carved timber, lay in ashes. Women wept, others stood speechless as the impact of the devastation became apparent.

It would have been very easy to give up; let most of the building fall into ruin and restore only part of the church for holding services. But the people of Selby had a different idea.

Shortly before midnight on October 19th, 1906, flames were seen pouring out of an Abbey window. Soon the old timbers of the roof were burning fiercely as flames and smoke filled the sky. The central tower looked like a huge chimney as smoke poured out, bells came crashing down and molten lead poured like streams of silver. As dawn broke next morning, the choir lay open to the sky, charred beams were all

Within hours a restoration fund was opened. Visitors threw money into sheets held by townspeople at the south and west gates and contributions came pouring in from all parts of the country. Debris was cleared away and the mammoth task of restoring Selby Abbey began.

John Oldrid Scott, who had previously worked on the choir, was given the task of chief architect. Within a year, the nave had been re-dedicated and within three years the choir and upper stages of the tower restored and, the south transept, which had lain in ruins since March 1690, was expertly rebuilt.

Finally, in 1935 under the direction of the architect Charles Marriot Oldrid Scott, the pinnacles were removed from the towers on the west front, their height increased, and the pinnacles replaced. So expertly was all this work carried out that when it was finished, Selby Abbey, perhaps for the first time in its long history, stood as the Norman builders had intended.

Looking after such a building is an endless task. In this century increasing motor traffic and pollution blackened the stone which gave the building a gloomy appearance and in 1973 it was given a good scrub. The building was washed from end to end and top to bottom. The cost was met by a government grant, with generous help from the local authorities.

The result was a building with a clean exterior and an award from 'English Heritage'. But the contrast with a spotless outside made the interior, blackened by smoke and fumes from fires and gas lamps, look decidedly grubby.

A huge sum of money was required for such a difficult task as cleaning the interior and Brigadier Kenneth Hargreaves CBE, Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding, was turned to for help. He became president of an appeal launched to raise £200,000 and, within two years, the money was found.

Work then went ahead and the opportunity was also taken to gild roof bosses, renew and re-point crumbling stonework, rebuild the organ and insulate the roof, putting the Abbey in better shape than in all its previous history.

In 1969 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II came to Selby for the Maundy Service, the first time such a service has been held in a parish church. And her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother attended a service of thanksgiving in 1976 after the cleaning and restoration work had been completed.

Selby Abbey Church has survived fire and flood; sinking foundations and falling towers; destruction of religious houses by Henry VIII and vandalism by the armies of Charles I and Oliver Cromwell. It has stood through centuries of political and religious upheaval. It has survived, and will continue to survive, because so many people care about its future.

Now it is a building full of magnificence and wonder. It fascinates historians, delights visitors, inspires artists, educates architects, and fills the townspeople with pride. It provides comfort and joy to those who worship here, because, above all, Selby Abbey continues to perform its primary function, that of a Christian Church.