St John's Church, Abergavenny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Johns's Church, Abergavenny |
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Gateway to tower
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| History | |
| Status | parish church |
| Dedication | St. John |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | masonic lodge |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed building |
| Designated | 5 July 1952 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Abergavenny |
St John's Church in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, has a long and interesting history. It used to be the main church for the town. This changed when many monasteries were closed down a long time ago. After that, another church, St Mary's Priory, became the main church. St John's then became a school for many years. Today, it is used by a group called a masonic lodge. Only the old tower and a part of the main hall (called the nave) are left of the original church building.
A Long History
St John's Church is the oldest church in Abergavenny. Its tower and main hall were built in the 1300s. A bell in the tower would ring each night. This bell signaled the start of a curfew, meaning the town gates were closing.
Changes in the 1500s
In 1536, a nearby religious house, a Benedictine priory dedicated to St Mary, was closed. This was part of a big event called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. At that time, the priory only had a leader (a prior) and four monks. People in Abergavenny were already using part of the priory church.
The townspeople asked King Henry VIII to make St Mary's Priory Church their new main church. King Henry VIII agreed, and this change happened in 1539.
Becoming a School
Around 1542 or 1543, King Henry VIII took over St John's Church. He turned it into the King Henry VIII Grammar School. This school was paid for by special taxes called tithes. These taxes used to go to St Mary's Priory. Money also came from taxes in Badgeworth, Gloucestershire, which used to go to another priory in Usk. This new school was the first grammar school in the county.
The top part of the tower was rebuilt around 1750. People later described it as a very interesting old building from the mid-1700s. The building continued to be a school for a very long time. A new school building opened in Pen-y-pound in 1998.
A New Purpose
In 1899, a local architect named E. A. Johnson changed the old school building. He was a freemason, which is a member of a masonic lodge. He turned the building into a masonic lodge called the Second Philanthropic Lodge. In 1902, the lodge changed its name to St. John's Lodge. Today, it is simply known as Abergavenny Masonic Hall or Centre.
The lodge has four special certificates given to new members. These certificates came from an older French masonic lodge. They were given out in 1813 and 1814. The people who received them were French officers who were prisoners of war in Abergavenny.
The building became a listed building on July 5, 1952. This means it is a special building that needs to be protected because of its history.
