Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire, England, is a Catholic Benedictine monastery that forms part of the English Benedictine Congregation.
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Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire, England, is a Catholic Benedictine monastery that forms part of the English Benedictine Congregation standing on a small hill overlooking the city of Hereford to the east, with views across to the Black Mountains, Wales to the west. The 19th century Abbey also serves as a parish church. Founder Francis Wegg-Prosser, of nearby Belmont House, who decided to build a church on his Hereford estate in 1854 later inviting the Benedictines to reside there so that there would be a permanent Catholic presence, then becominge a priory as the Common Novitiate and House of Studies for the English Benedictine Congregation. Benedictine Thomas Joseph Brown, was its first bishop, is buried in the church. Also here, but in the Abbots' graveyard, is buried Bishop Bernard Collier, missionary in Mauritius. Belmont was unique in England for having a monastic cathedral chapter. Belmont was allowed to take its own novices in 1901, and became an independent house in 1917. In 1920 Belmont was raised to the rank of an Abbey by the papal bull Praeclara Gesta. In 1895, the Diocese of Newport and Menevia split and the abbey remained as the pro-cathedral for the Diocese of Newport. On 12 March 1920, St. David's church officially became the cathedral for the archdiocese and the abbey ceased to be a pro-cathedral. The Abbey Church is a grade II Listed building, built to the designs of Edward Welby Pugin, son of the great Augustus Welby Pugin. Built in the decorated, early English style, it demonstrated the resurgent optimism of the restored Catholic faith. The church is noted for the quality of its sculpture and stained glass. There are windows depicting angels with harps, cymbals and pipes. There is an angel reredos in the east end of the church and a Victorian glass window showing the archangels Michael (the abbey's patron, sword and shield in hand, trampling the dragon), Raphael and Gabriel and the nine choirs of angels as an angelic orchestra sounding of praises o