Garden Statues and Fountains in Medieval Monasteries

Throughout the first half of the first millennium, monasteries across Europe blossomed with dramatic gardens adorned with statues and water features. As the saying went, along with the cross, monks carried the plough. Hard work, once disparaged, was elevated by the monastic vocation. St. Benedict taught that garden labor sanctified by prayer is the highest human endeavor—a lesson reflected in the beauty of their grounds.

Benedictine Garden Complexes

Within Benedictine walls lay large gardens with striking statuary, water features, and hanging wall fountains cultivated by all resident monks, with smaller plots for the abbot and chief almoner. Flowers, once shunned by early Christians as pagan symbols, were now grown to decorate the church. Roses, held in highest esteem, were often planted in large stone planters. At Subiaco, a rose garden (roseto) centered on a stone statue of St. Benedict preserves bushes said to be the same that delighted him and whose thorns he used for mortification.

St. Augustine’s Legacy in England

The arrival of St. Augustine at Canterbury in 597 AD inaugurated a new era for British gardens. The civilization, arts, and letters that had fled the English conquest returned with the Christian faith. St. Augustine and his disciples revived horticulture, introduced new vegetables and fruits, and created flourishing gardens with fountains clearly inspired by Italian models.

Divergent Paths: Continent vs. England

On the continent, monks incorporated fragments of Roman villas into their monasteries, restoring ancient gardens and adding statuary. In England, however, little connection existed between classical and convent grounds. Yet for two centuries after Augustine, gardening thrived within the newly founded monasteries, and their influence endures to this day.