| Admin_History | Syon Monastery (often referred to as Syon/Sion Abbey) was originally founded in the parish of Isleworth in 1415 to house the English Bridgettine Order of nuns. Following the English Reformation and the dissolution of monasteries by King Henry VIII, the Order was expelled in 1539. Following a brief period of exile in the Netherlands, the Order returned to England following the accession of Queen Mary I in 1553 but was expelled again during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. They eventually settled in Lisbon, Portugal, and developed a close association with the English College. In 1861, the community left Lisbon and returned to England, settling first in Spetisbury, Dorset, before moving to Chudleigh, Devon, in 1887. In 1925, they moved to their current location near South Brent. |