St Mary's Priory Church

St Mary's Priory Church, Abergavenny, right, has been described as one of the finest churches in Wales.

It contains some superb monuments and sculptures, said to be among the most important collections of any parish church in Britain.

The Priory at Abergavenny was established at the end of the 11th century by the Norman lord Hamelin de Ballon to support a prior and 12 monks from the French Abbey of St Vincent and St Lawrence in Le Mans. Little remains of the original structure and most of the present church dates from the 14th century.

The Abergavenny Tapestry The Abergavenny Tapestry is now in its rightful place at the restored medieval Tithe Barn heritage and visitors' centre which was officially opened by HRH Prince Charles on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008. For more details about the 20ft masterpiece please click here

CHOIR STALL AND HERBERT CHAPEL: The monastic choir stall, and the medieval monuments and effigies in the Herbert Chapel have undergone a restoration programme. Awareness of the need to restore the monuments was prompted by history society members Gwyn Jones and the late Eric Finney more than 20 years ago. They conducted guided tours around the church and saw that the condition of the monuments was deteriorating. The restoration committee was finally formed in 1991, and experts were engaged to carry out the intricate work. The recent completion of the monuments' restoration programme has been hailed as a magnificent success.

Other restoration work still continues. The Lewis Chapel has been restored and an appeal has been launched to rebuild the organ.

The Priory Church has also bought back the neighbouring medieval Tithe Barn which the St Mary's Priory Development Trust, whose patron is the Prince of Wales, is redeveloping as a heritage and arts centre.

THE JESSE TREE:
One of the Priory Church's main treasures is the huge 15th century wooden figure of Jesse, left, which originally depicted the lineage of Jesus Christ from Jesse, the father of King David. Only the base remains of the elaborate family tree. The whole figure probably formed the reredos - the ornament placed behind the altar. This is the only wooden figure of Jesse to be found in Britain. Carved from one piece of oak it was originally highly coloured and traces of this can still be seen in the folds.

THE MONUMENTS

Tombs: The tombs are mostly of the lords and ladies of the castle who arranged for the monks to pray for them after death. These figures provide a catalogue of changes in costume and armour over four centuries. But it is very unlikely that there was any attempt at portraiture. A knight was always shown in full armour and in the prime of life; only the addition of heraldry on shields or cloak would identify the person. Many were damaged by Puritans and all have lost the bright colours which once covered them. Some of the monuments are detailed below.

John de Hastings: The material, style of armour and posture of this magnificent wooden figure, right, tell us that this is Sir John de Hastings II who died in 1324 and not George de Cantelupe, the tenth lord of Abergavenny who died in 1273, as once thought.

John de Hastings rebuilt the priory and his tomb would have stood at the centre of the choir. Depressions on the side once held brightly enamelled heraldic shields.
The cross-legged posture was a fashion popular before 1330-1340, and had nothing to do with involvement with the Crusades. His feet rest on the lion, a symbol of courage and strength. Animals figure largely in medieval sculpture but some, like elephants and lions, were inaccurately portrayed because few European artists would have seen such animals.

Sir William ap Thomas and his wife Gwladys:
He is the ancestor of the Herbert family. When his wife, daughter of Sir David Gamm, died in 1464, three thousand knights, nobles and weeping peasants followed her body from Coldbrook House to the Priory. The alabaster tomb is one of the most significant in the church.

Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook and his wife: In the battle of Edgecote (1469) during the Wars of the Roses he was supposed to have killed 140 men with his own poleaxe before being captured and executed.

Sir Richard Herbert of Ewyas:
He was the natural son of Sir William Herbert and the grandson of Sir William ap Thomas. During restoration work the figure was removed to reveal a black, hooded monk called the beadsman which was hidden again when the effigy returned to its niche. A replica can be seen in a wall plaque by the side of the monument.

Dr David Lewis: Dr Lewis lived in Llandewi Rhydderch and designed the tomb himself, and placed it there before his death. Its decoration refers to his position as Judge of the High Court of the Admiralty in the reign of Elizabeth I. The front panels are filled with oak leaves; these refer to the "Hearts of Oak" of which ships were built. The centre arch features an anchor, and his feet rest on what was probably a ship of that period.

OTHER PRIORY TREASURES

Royal Arms: These were placed in churches after the Reformation to symbolise the sovereign's supremacy over the Church of England. Few examples survive from the reign of Charles I because they were objects of special hatred.
This one is of Queen Anne, dated 1709. It was severely damaged by accident in 1985, and its repair was the first achievement of the restoration programme.

Choir: The monks' stalls were once separated from the nave by a rood screen. Here the black monks of the Benedictine order assembled seven times each day. Aged monks would use the hinged misericord seats to support themselves as they stood during the long services.

The Font: This was placed by the main door as baptism symbolises entry into the church. The bowl has a very fine specimen of 12th century rope carving around its base. On its rim, you can still see evidence of the padlocks which once secured a font lid to prevent holy water being stolen for superstitious practices.