Joseph of Arimathea asked for and was given Jesus's body after the crucifixion. He laid the body in his own tomb. According to legend, Joseph of Arimathea later traveled to Glastonbury in England and stuck his staff in the ground, causing a holy thorn tree to grow. This spot and other sites in Glastonbury, including Wearyall Hill and the Chalice Well spring, became associated with Joseph of Arimathea and legends that he brought the Holy Grail to Glastonbury.

1. AND DID THOSE
FEET IN ANCIENT
TIMES
By Shiv Mirpuri

2. JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man from Arimathea who asked Pilate
for Jesus’s body. He took the body and laid it in his own tomb. After this
Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one
because of his fear of the Jews asked Pilate to let him take the body. Pilate
allowed him and they took the body to a garden where he was crucified. In
the garden there was a new tomb in which he was laid. And so, because it
was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid
Jesus there.

3. The first evidence of a structure on this site date back to about 700AD,
although what can be seen now is the remains of the 12th century St. Mary's
Chapel (or Lady Chapel), the 14th century Abbot's Kitchen and the abbey
church itself which was constructed between these two dates. The bodies of
both King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were claimed to have been found in
the monastery burial ground by monks and reburied inside the abbey on a
spot now marked by a plaque. As with so many legends and stories there is
no solid evidence to prove the truth of this claim. Legend also states that
Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury and built a church where the
Lady Chapel stands and planted his staff on the nearby Wearyall Hill
causing a Holy thorn tree to spring from it.
GLASTONBURY ABBEY

4. GLASTONBURY THORN
The Glastonbury Thorn is a variety of hawthorn that flowers twice in winter and
spring. The legend states that Joseph of Arimathea became a missionary after the
death of Jesus and was eventually sent to England to preach the Gospel. He took
with him the Holy Grail, and his pilgrim’s staff. After landing in England he
made his way to Glastonbury. When he stuck his pilgrim’s staff in the ground at
Wearyall Hill overnight turned into a flowering thorn.

5. Another mystical place, the Tor is topped by the tower of St.
Michael's church. The 13th century chapel has now gone but the
tower remains as the destination for many tourists each year in
search of some kind of spiritual experience. The path that winds
around the hill is has been suggested as a processional route for past
ceremonies, and it is possible that a prominent natural mound such
as this would have been important to people living in, or travelling
to this area.
THE TOR

6. CHALLICE WELL
Joseph of Arimathea is also said to have brought the Holy Grail to Glastonbury
which legend says is hidden within the Chalice Well. The Well is a natural spring
which rises in a garden at the foot of the Tor, and has a high iron content which
turns the water a reddish brown. This has led to its alternate name of the Blood
Spring, an obvious allusion to the blood of Christ emanating from the Chalice. The
Grail, or Chalice itself is said to have been a dish or cup that was used by Jesus at
the last supper, and later by Joseph of Arimathea to catch drops of blood at the
Crucifixion. According to Thomas Malory, after being brought to Britain it
vanished due to the world becoming too sinful for such a holy relic, only revealing
itself to a chosen few.