Priory Church of St Mary, Abergavenny

The Priory Church of St Mary stands in the centre of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. It is a large parish church with a cruciform layout and a central tower holding ten bells. The building mainly follows Decorated and Perpendicular styles, though much of its original Norman work was lost during a 19th-century refurbishment. A Norman baptismal font, rediscovered in the churchyard, had been removed in the 17th century by a local Baptist minister opposed to infant baptism. The church also contains 15th-century oak choir stalls with carved misericords and lattice backs, bearing the name of Prior Wynchestre. The church is often called the ‘Westminster Abbey of Wales’ for its size and the many high-status tombs and medieval effigies inside. These include wooden, alabaster and marble figures dating from the 13th to 17th centuries, such as that of John de Hastings, shown as a young knight in chainmail. The Lewis Chapel houses the tomb of Dr David Lewis and two unusual female effigies, one holding a heart to signify a possible heart burial. The Jesse, a large 15th-century wooden carving, is described as one of the finest medieval sculptures in the world. Visitors find a grand chancel and nave stretching 172 feet, with chapels dedicated to St Joseph and St Benedict. The Herbert Chapel holds recumbent monuments of the Herbert and ap Thomas families, including Sir Richard Herbert executed after the Battle of Edgecote in 1469. The Jesse effigy now stands below a stained-glass window installed in 2016, dedicated in the presence of the Prince of Wales. The church’s organ, rebuilt several times, was finally replaced by a digital instrument after structural damage. Small services now use a restored 5-stop chamber organ from Durham.