What's the difference between a church and an abbey?

Question

What's the difference between a church and an abbey?

Answer 1

church: building used for religious services, usually referring specifically to those for Christian worship

abbey:  is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.

Answer 2

One abbey was having money problems, so the abbot set up a fish&chips shop at the gate with two of the brothers in charge.  One day a potato salesman came to the shop and asked if they were interested in his produce.

"Hold on a sec, I'm just the fish frier," said Brother Stan.  "You want Brother Ollie; he's the chip monk."

Answer 3

a church is where the general public go to pray

an abbey is where monks or nuns spend their lives when they have devoted themselves to god. =D

Answer 4

The general public attends church.

Abbeys are for those whose lives are devoted to religious service (nuns, monks).  These institutions are generally secluded from the public, and managed by an abbot or abbess.  They are centers for prayer and contemplation.

Historically, abbeys were centers for religious learning.  During the so-called dark ages, books were copied and stored in abbeys.  Much ancient learning survives today because of scholars toiling away in medieval abbeys.