The Priory church of St Mary, Abergavenny - Part I

 Well, I survived the night but do not feel at my best and came downstairs at 5.30 feeling hot.  I have a handful of pills to take at breakfast time - antibiotic, antihistamine, blood thinners, Vit. D, etc.  Good point is my lungs don't feel clogged (managed to get two a/b's down me yesterday, one at teatime and one before bed, and they are 3 a day.   Hopefully I will feel a bit more with it tomorrow when Tam and Rosie arrive, though "Aunty" Gabs will be here to hold the fort too.  She sent me a link which showed that AFib can be caused by a bad infection and then go.  We will see.

A nice Berlin wool work picture from Malvern

I got my paper earlier and a loaf of good granary bread from the bakers.  I only get a paper on Tuesday and Saturday and may give those up.  My appetite is back (boohoo) and I succombed to an apple turnover full of cream and fruit.  In my defence, for four days I hardly ate a thing and my body was saying it needed apple turnover today!!

There are no photos of the outside, as a wedding was about to take place and there were guests milling around.  I had to be quick inside too.  I will go again and stay longer and walk right round outside.  It truly is a splendid church and historically very important.  The focus is on the unique and iconic 15th C wooden Jesse figure (originally part of the Reredos behind the main altar where it would have been a full Tree of Jesse) which is truly amazing and survived the Reformation because of the Priory Church's strong Tudor links. Yet the important collection of alabaster and stone tombs in the Herbert chapel take some beating too.  

This Grade I listed building was founded in the late 1080s/early 1090s by the first Anglo-Norman Lord of Abergavenny, Hamelin de Ballon, who also held Abergavenny Castle.  It was almost certainly a Romano-Celtic place of worship so the line of continuity is vast. It has been called the "Westminster Abbey of Wales" due to its size, and the many high-status tombs within it.  Marcher Lords associated with it were the de Braose, Hastings and Herbert families.  The priory buildings were to the South of the cruciform-shape church, and the Tithe barn remains (Grade II* listed) and is now a restaurant.

It was through the donations of William de Braose in the late 12th C that the Priory grew to house 13 monks.  However, fast forward to the early 14th C and the monks have dwindled to 5 and they were Rather Naughty Monks at that, given to "leaving the cloister, gambling, breaking the fast and trying with women" My thanks to the Ancient and Medieval Architecture page which is worth visiting.  I love the way simple facts like these bring history alive.  The then Prior, one Fulk Gastard, was accused of perjury and fled with as much of the Priory's valuables as he could get his hands on . . .  I bet that got the gossips going!

There was a disastrous fire in 1403 during the Welsh rebellions led by Owain Glyndwr, losing all its fire-perishable documents and books and valuables. It remained ruinous until 1428, when Pope Martin V gave monies for it to be rebuilt.  

Like Tewkesbury, strong links to the Tudor crown meant that it became the parish church rather than being at the mercy of the Reformation.  Thank heavens for that.

The unusual Norman font - I don't recall seeing that rope twist design on a font before, or the looped border above it.  It is believed to have originated from another church. The base is later - from when it was restored in 1897.

Large brass lecturn and pulpit behind.

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This is the unusual carved wooden effigy of Sir John de Hastings, 1287 - 1325.  He is believed to have been responsible for the priory's 14th C rebuilding. The base of the tomb chest with the niches filled with sculptures of his relations.  T J Hughes, in his excellent book, "Wales' Best 100 Churches", says this of him:  He was "one of those Border lords who had to ride the sudden moods and shifts of power under Edward I. He took the surrender of Llewellyn Bren, and was part of the force that laid waste to Glamorgan in the effort to destroy the base of Hugh le Despenser."

The side chapel with the Jesse figure, which is just superb.

The beautiful stained glass window behind the Jesse carving. Here is what the church web page has to say:  The figure lies below a 21st century stained glass window, depicting the descendants of Jesse to Mary and Christ, with Welsh saints featured in the tracery. Designed by Helen Whittaker, it was made in memory of the late Very Revd Jeremy Winston, vicar of Abergavenny for 18 years, and installed and dedicated in 2016. It is probably the most important stained glass window created for a church in Wales for over 70 years.

I'm not sure who these are the effigies of - it was difficult to get close enough to take a decent picture because of furniture in the way.

Well, here endeth today's lecture.  For those who aren't so interested in history, (scant!!) apologies - but where would we be without history?  Buildings would have no meaning, no interest, no intellectual integrity, but would be just walls, windows, rooves and doors.  Prehistory would just be rocks, not links with our past and imbued with meaning, and the people of the past would disappear as if they never existed. History is after all, about people and what they did. We need history, as it brings the past alive, and we need to learn from it (present Prime Minister please take note)

Well, in "taking it easy" today, I shall now return to the long list of video links given by the Mortimer History Society.  Tam has faithfully sent me the heads up for the next Mortimer Society Essay competition and is encouraging me to get going and enter.  (This on the principal that I have a good brain and should be using it and my BA Dissertation won a good prize.) I have no real excuse this year but need to get my angle on what to tackle.