After nearly two centuries, a community of Benedictine nuns has been forced to leave their Worcestershire abbey in search of a new home.
Stanbrook Abbey in Callow End, near Worcester, has been put up for sale for £6 million because the nuns cannot afford to maintain the building.
The community, which has lived in the abbey in the shadow of the Malvern Hills since 1837, are to move to newly-built premises in North Yorkshire, which is likely to take three years to complete.
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Stanbrook Abbey, which contains one of the country's largest private libraries with 60,000 books and has worldclass printing skills, could be transformed into a residential home or education centre.
Mother Joanna Jamieson, of Stanbrook Abbey, said: "Everything is so expensive and it is so very sad - a building that was designed for a monastic community at that time is no longer user-friendly."
The nuns have prayed, studied, and laboured from dawn until dusk, but after so long struggling to run the huge building they say the only way for their order to survive is to move.
The final straw came when they wanted to install a new elevator but were told they would have to build a fivestorey extension which they could not afford.
In a statement on the abbey's website, the nuns said: "It is no easy matter to contemplate leaving buildings that one loves, not to mention the local community which has become so dear to us over the years, especially as the future remains uncertain and promises, rather than the speedy transfer to some monastic shangri-la, the challenge of living in temporary accommodation on a building-site."
Nuns settled at Stanbrook after the French Revolution, with the building of the abbey church, designed by Edward Welby Pugin, completed in
The eight bells in its gothic tower belfry mark the daily round of liturgical services, from Vigils to Compline.
The nuns were at the forefront of the 19th century movement to restore Gregorian Chant, which is still sung. In the wake of Vatican Council II they pioneered the composition of texts and musical settings for a plainsong liturgy in the vernacular.
Today the 30 sisters lead an enclosed, contemplative life, 1871.
with the Eucharist and daily celebration of the Divine Office at its centre.
Prayer, lectio divina (prayerful reading and study of scripture) and manual work, as prescribed by the Rule of Benedict, structure the day.
Work takes many forms, depending on the skills and gifts of members and the needs of the community. Along with cooks and gardeners, there are artists and craft workers, calligraphers, musicians, scholars and writers.
The abbey is set in 21.5 acres of land, with a grade two listed church and several houses.
Andrew Grant, of Andrew Grant estate agents, said the building could be used as a residential home or sold for educational use.
He said: "It is in a beautiful situation.
"There is about 80,000sq ft in total with 21 acres, so it would suit something institutional like a religious order or retreat. It could also be used as a care village or hotel."
