Religious Heritage

This was once the site of the gateway to  Romsey’s Norman Abbey and the archway is still a notable reminder of the town’s heritage.
Beyond was the Abbey itself which in medieval times was run by an Order of Benedictine nuns. The Romsey and District Society has erected a plaque by the archway which records that it was rebuilt in 1888 by the Congregational Church. Today the archway is part of the United Reform Church and the entrance is on the left.
Beneath the roadway at this point runs a stream into what is known as Abbey Water, and runs along the periphery of the United Reform church.  Today, one of the entrances to the Abbey itself is a few yards beyond the arch, although the main entrance is a few hundred yards away from the town’s Church Street.
Beyond the Archway too is the religious commune of the Catholic Church of St Joseph’s, Romsey, and La Sagesse Convent at Abbey House.
 St Joseph’s Chapel is situated in the grounds, which for many centuries belonged to the old Benedictine Order of nuns and stands almost within the shadow of the Abbey Church, which is all that remains of that ancient foundation.
 The website history of the convent of the La Sagesse Sisters known as the Daughters of Wisdom, recalls their Order was founded in Brittany, France, in 1703, to care for the needs of the sick, the poor and orphans, as well as to educate the young. St Louis Marie de Montfort, their founder, also established a company of priests and brothers – the Montfort Missionaries.
Both of these orders continue to be linked with the town.