Monmouth Priory
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Monmouth Priory, in Priory Street,
Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...
, Wales, is a building that incorporates the remains of the monastic buildings attached to
St Mary's Priory Church The Parish and Priory Church of St Mary is located in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, south east Wales. Parts of the building, including its ornate west doorway, date from the late 11th century and are contemporary with the nearby Norman castle. The ch ...
. The priory was a
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
foundation of 1075, and parts of the mediaeval buildings remain. The buildings were substantially redeveloped in the nineteenth century for use as St Mary's National School, and now form a community centre. The complex is a
Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
listed building as of 27 June 1952. It is one of 24 sites on the
Monmouth Heritage Trail The Monmouth Heritage Trail is a walking route which connects various sights in the town of Monmouth, Wales. History In 2009 Monmouth Civic Society identified 24 historic and interesting buildings in the town, and organised the production and fix ...
.


History

The priory was founded by Withenoc (or Gwethenoc), a
Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...
who became lord of Monmouth in 1075. Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Historic Landscape Characterisation: Lower Wye Valley
Accessed 11 January 2012
There is evidence in the
Book of Llandaff The Book of Llandaff (; , ', or '), is the cartulary of the cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents relating to the history of the diocese of Llandaff in Wales. It is written primarily in Latin but also contains a signific ...
of an earlier 8th century
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
church, and it has been tentatively suggested that this may have been on the site of the later priory.Sarah and John Zaluckyj, ''The Celtic Christian Sites of the Central and Southern Marches'', Logaston Press, 2006, , p.377 The priory was granted to the Abbey of St Florent at
Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...
, and was consecrated in 1101. The priory church was extended and became the
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
later in the twelfth century. The priory was dissolved in 1536.Monmouth Group of Parishes: St Mary's Church History
/ref> The monastic buildings were located on the north side of the
priory church A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or the Ch ...
. Traces of an
infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambul ...
were discovered in 1906, when the site of the
Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...
was being prepared for building. The surviving buildings were the prior's lodgings.John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', Penguin Books, 2000, , p.397 The only recognisable surviving medieval feature is the "sumptuous mid-C15 oriel window" which is often erroneously described as having a connection with
Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...
who lived over three centuries earlier, and which in fact is likely to have formed part of the priory gatehouse. The window contains three
corbels In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a bearing weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applie ...
in the form of carved heads of high quality, although there is some uncertainty as to exactly what they depict: Newman describing them as representing "an angel between a civilian and what may be a bedesman", whilst Kissack is more empathic in suggesting they portray "a knight, an angel and a miller." The prior's lodgings were extended on several occasions in the nineteenth century when they were used as St Mary's National School. The building was restored with the help of funding from the
Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
. Architect Keith Murray was commissioned to draw up plans for the renovation of the building, which was completed in 2002. It is now available for community use for events such as weddings, conferences and exhibitions. The Priory is a
Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.


The Geoffrey Tapestry

In December 2000 it was suggested that a wallhanging might be produced to illustrate the life of
Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...
. Research, design and preparation took six months and the first stitches were worked in July 2001, at the festivities to celebrate the Priory's 900th anniversary. The work, measuring by , was completed in May 2003, after a combined effort by the 14 volunteers of 2,750 hours.''Stitches and Stories- the Geoffrey Wall Hanging and How it Came to Be"'', colour booklet, published by Monmouth Priory, 2005.


Notes


References

*Newman J., ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', (2000) Penguin Books *Kissack, K., ''The Lordship, Parish and Borough of Monmouth'', (1996) Lapridge Publications


External links


Monmouth Priory homepage
{{Buildings in Monmouth History of Monmouthshire Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire Tourist attractions in Monmouthshire Buildings and structures in Monmouth, Wales 1075 establishments in Europe 11th-century establishments in Wales