The cloister
St. George’s Abbey Museum includes a cloister and a garden. In earlier times, the cloister was the centre of the monastery. Today the cloister is a simple lawn. There is a rose bush in each of the four corners and a fountain in the middle. It is unknown what the garden of the cloister looked like in the Middle Ages. The present fountain dates from 1928 and the four rose bushes were probably planted at the same time.
People in the Middle Ages revered the rose. The rose bushes are a reminder of this today. White roses were considered a symbol of the purity of the Blessed Mother. Red roses were the symbol of Our Lady's suffering.