Saints and Sinners: Britain's Millennium of Monasteries

Janina Ramirez discovers how monasteries shaped all aspects of medieval Britain and created a dazzling array of art, architecture and literature, a story of faith, sacrifice, violence and corruption.

Overview Seasons Similar

Created By
Status	Ended
Original Name	Saints and Sinners: Britain's Millennium of Monasteries
First Air Date	February 19, 2015
Last Air Date	March 5, 2015
Seasons	1
Episodes	3
Episode Runtime	0min
Language	English
Original Language	English
Production Countries	United Kingdom
Production Companies	BBC
Networks	BBC Four

S01E03

Secular Society

Dr Janina Ramirez discovers how the immensely rich and powerful monasteries, that had dominated British society for a thousand years, were annihilated in less than five years. In the 15th century, eight hundred monasteries in England owned one third of the nation's land. Many monks were living in palatial monasteries and were patrons of the finest art and architecture. Janina then traces the story of the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell. Although not a single monastery survived the systematic liquidation, Janina shows the lasting impact Britain's millennium of monasteries had on our society and culture.

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