St Mary's Priory Church, Monmouth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Priory Church, Monmouth
Entrance to the church on Whitecross Street
51°48′48″N 2°42′50″W / 51.8132°N 2.714°W / 51.8132; -2.714
Location	Monmouth, Monmouthshire
Country	Wales
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Monmouth Parishes: St Mary's Priory Church
History
Status	Church in Wales parish church
Founder(s)	Withenoc (or Gwethenoc)
Dedication	Saint Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	27 June 1952 (1952-06-27)
Architect(s)	Francis Smith of Warwick George Edmund Street
Specifications
Materials	Old Red Sandstone (tower)
Administration
Parish	Monmouth
Deanery	Newport and Monmouth
Diocese	Diocese of Monmouth

St Mary's Priory Church is an Anglican church located on Whitecross Street, Monmouth, in Monmouthshire, Wales. It started as a Benedictine priory (a type of monastery) in 1075. Most of the church you see today was built in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1952, it was recognized as a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's a very important historical site. It is also one of 24 special buildings on the Monmouth Heritage Trail.

History and Design of the Church

Early Beginnings and Outside Look

The priory church was founded by Withenoc (also known as Gwethenoc), a Breton lord of Monmouth, in 1075. Some old writings suggest there might have been an even older Celtic church on this spot in the 8th century.

The priory was given to the Abbey of St Florent in France and officially opened in 1101. It grew bigger and became the local parish church later in the 12th century. Not much of the very first building remains, except for a small piece of a Norman wall.

An old picture from 1799

The church's tower is made of Old Red Sandstone and has three levels. It was built in the 14th century. After 1536, when monasteries were closed down by the king during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the church started to fall apart. By 1730, it was in bad shape.

A lot of rebuilding happened in 1736-1737 by Francis Smith of Warwick, who built a completely new main hall (nave). However, most of his work is also gone now. In 1743, a new spire (the tall, pointed top of the church) was added, reaching about 60 meters high.

Later, in the late 19th century, the church was almost completely rebuilt by George Edmund Street. He thought the church looked very plain in 1879. He wanted to tear it all down and start fresh, but it was too expensive. So, he rebuilt most of it, keeping the old tower and spire.

St Mary's Church around 1865

St Mary's Church is the tallest building in Monmouth. Its golden cockerel weather vane sits about 205 feet above the ground. This cockerel was fixed after being hit by lightning in 2007 and again in 2023 after a storm. The church is a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's a very important historical site.

Inside the Church

The inside of the church was designed in 1882 to hold 1,000 people, but many of the pews (church benches) have been removed since then. There are two chapels, which were added later. The rood (a large cross) was once plain wood but is now brightly colored. Part of the screen that held the rood has been moved to the back of the church to create an entrance area called a narthex.

The Lady Chapel has an English Altar with four special posts. These posts have unusual brass bases and iron tops that support a newly gilded (gold-covered) angel. The ironwork and woodwork in the screen were made by Letheren and Martin, who also made famous items for the British Parliament and St Paul's Cathedral.

St Mary's Church in 1905

Most of the stained glass windows inside were made by Charles Eamer Kempe in the 1880s. One window, called Four Rivers of Paradise, is especially beautiful. It shows the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates rivers. Another window, the Four Edwards Window, was finished in 1911. It shows Edward VII, Edward the Confessor, Edward I, and Edward, the Black Prince.

In the South aisle, there's a window designed in 1938 by the church's curate, B. F. L. Clarke. It shows Gwethenoc, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and the church's architects Francis Smith and G. E. Street. The North chapel has screens designed by William Douglas Caroe. The reredos (a large altar painting) is called The Adoration of the Magi and was painted by James Watney Wilson in 1888.

Inside the church

The walls of the South aisle display rare medieval tiles. Many of these tiles came from Malvern, but some older ones were made right here in Monmouth. One tile shows the Bohun swan, which was the symbol of Mary de Bohun, the mother of Henry V. Henry V was born in the nearby castle. Another tile shows the symbols of Westminster Abbey.

The church has a beautiful pipe organ located to the left of the main altar area. It has been recently fixed up. The church now holds organ concerts during the summer. The font, used for baptisms, is made of carved Portland stone and green Genoa marble. It was placed in its current spot in 1982.

The Church Bells

We don't know exactly when the bells first arrived, but records from 1673 mention payments for "irons for five bells." The bells were repaired and re-hung when the church was rebuilt in the 1880s. They were fixed again in 1953, 1972, and 1982 to improve their sound.

Here are the details of the eight bells currently in the church:

An old directory from 1901 also mentions a "fire bell" that was re-made in 1604. This bell used to hang on the outside of the tower. Now, you can see it on display in the church's entrance porch.

Graveyard and Nearby Areas

Gravestone of John Renie

At the eastern end of the churchyard, close to the church, is the gravestone of John Renie, his wife, and two sons. John Renie was a house painter who passed away in 1832 at age 33. His gravestone became a Grade II listed building in 2005. It has a rectangular puzzle carved into it with 285 letters. From the large H in the middle, you can read the sentence "Here lies John Renie" in many directions. People say you can read it in 46,000 different ways! It's thought that Renie carved the stone himself. Some people believe he did this to confuse the Devil and make sure he went to heaven. However, John Renie's actual remains are buried somewhere else, as the stone was moved later. The gravestone of Charles Heath, who is also buried here, is also a listed building.

The churchyard walls, railings, gate posts, and gates on the south-east side of the church were also listed as Grade II* buildings in 1974. The wrought iron gates were made in 1759, and the stone gate posts are from the 1830s.

Parts of the old monastery buildings are still standing on nearby Priory Street. This includes the Prior's Lodging, which has a beautiful 15th-century window. People sometimes mistakenly think this building is connected to Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey is believed to have been born in Monmouth around 1100, about the time the first priory was being built.

In 1851, the Monmouth Cemetery was created. This happened because Monmouth Council closed St Mary's Churchyard for new burials. The churchyard ground had become too high, and old human remains were starting to appear above ground. This caused health problems for people living nearby on Whitecross Street, and there were unpleasant smells from the churchyard.

Church Services

St Mary's Church is part of the Monmouth Group of Parishes, which belongs to the Church in Wales. It holds regular services every week. The Diocese of Monmouth is one of the six dioceses (church regions) in the Church in Wales. Its main church is the Cathedral Church of St Woolos in Newport.