Abbey, Evesham
Benedictine house founded by Saint Edwin, c.701 , in Worcestershire, England , and dedicated to Our Lady. Secular canons were installed, 941 ; the monks were restored by Saint Dunstan and Saint Ethelwold , 960 . Exemption from episcopal jurisdiction was confirmed by Rome, 1260 , and the abbey became one of the largest in England ; it had two dependent cells in England and one in Denmark . Surrendered to Henry VIII , 1539 , its demolition began, and only a few isolated fragments remain, including the great bell tower built by Abbot Clement Lichfield, c.1533 .