Nestled in the tranquil English countryside near Cranham, Gloucestershire in the Cotswolds, Prinknash Abbey is a Benedictine monastery with a rich history spanning over nine centuries.
The abbey is home to a community of monks who live according to the Rule of St. Benedict, embracing a life of prayer, work, and hospitality.
The monks of Prinknash Abbey follow the Benedictine principles of “ora et labora” (prayer and work). Their daily routine includes communal prayers, contemplation, and various forms of work.
We host several day retreats each year at Prinknash so retreatants can enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, the peaceful chapel and the rich spiritual history of the place.
One of the most remarkable figures to emerge from Prinknash Abbey in the 20th century was Dom Sylvester Houédard (1924–1992), a Benedictine monk, theologian, literary editor, and pioneer of the concrete poetry movement.
Dom Sylvester (Chris’ teacher) embodied a unique synthesis of deep Christian monasticism, radical creativity, and profound openness to other spiritual traditions.
Ordained a priest in 1959, Dom Sylvester became widely known for his “typestracts”—visual poems created on a typewriter—that explored the interplay of form, meaning, and silence. His work stood at the crossroads of theology, art, and meditation, drawing both on ancient Christian sources and contemporary avant-garde movements.
Beyond his literary and artistic influence, Dom Sylvester was a trailblazer in interfaith dialogue. He believed that the contemplative dimension of religious life was a common thread that could draw traditions closer together—not by diluting difference, but by meeting in shared depth.
A pioneer of the wider ecumenism (he coined the phrase), Dom Sylvester actively engaged with Tibetan Buddhism and drew inspiration from the mystical teachings of the great Islamic thinker, Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi.
In 1983, he was appointed to the Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique, a subcommittee of the Benedictine order devoted to monastic interreligious conversation.
In this role, he fostered meaningful relationships with Tibetan Buddhist practitioners and was an early Western advocate for understanding the spirituality of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.
He often spoke of the need for a spiritual hospitality that could embrace, not just divisions within Christianity, but the full breadth of human spiritual seeking. His friendship with members of other faiths, especially Buddhist monks, exemplified this radical openness.
Dom Sylvester’s legacy continues to shape the ethos of Prinknash Abbey and inspires ongoing interfaith engagement within the wider Benedictine world.