Church of St Mary, Usk
| Church of St Mary, Usk | |
|---|---|
| Priory Church of St Mary, Usk | |
|
Church of St Mary | |
| 51°42′08″N 2°53′56″W / 51.7021°N 2.8988°WCoordinates: 51°42′08″N 2°53′56″W / 51.7021°N 2.8988°W | |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 1 April 1974 |
| Style | Perpendicular |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Rectorial Benefice of Mynyddislwyn |
| Diocese | Monmouth |
The Priory Church of St Mary is the parish church of Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales. Its origin was as the church of Usk Priory, a Benedictine nunnery founded by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke in the twelfth century.[1] After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church became the parish church of the town. Extended and restored in the middle of the nineteenth century, it was again restored in 1899–1900. The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1974.[2]
History and architecture
The site of the church shows no evidence of a pre-Conquest church, and the earliest religious building there may have been a Norman church associated with Usk Castle on the site of the present West nave.[2] In the years before his death in 1176, Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke founded a Benedictine nunnery on the site.[1] In the thirteenth century the North aisle was added as a place of worship for the people of the town, separated with a screen from the parts of the priory used exclusively by the nuns.[2] In the fifteenth century, two "splendid two-storyed Perpendicular porches"[1] were added to the North and West aisles, the probable builder being Sir William Herbert, who was also building on a grand scale at nearby Raglan Castle.[2]
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the late 1530s, the priory church became the parish church of the town. Extensive restoration and new building occurred in 1884 when Thomas Henry Wyatt created a sanctuary by roofing over the crossing space next to the tower and added a further bay to the nave.[2] A further restoration was undertaken in 1899–1900, when G E Halliday inserted new windows and re-roofed the nave and aisle.[1]
Interior
The church houses an organ by John Prichard and John Pollard Seddon which was originally constructed for Llandaff Cathedral and was moved to Usk in the 1899 restoration.[3]
Priory Gatehouse
The gatehouse to the original Benedictine nunnery stands at the entrance to the churchyard.[4]
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 The Buildings of Wales:Gwent/Monmouthshire, page 585
- 1 2 3 4 5 Good Stuff IT Services (1974-04-01). "Priory Church of Saint Mary – Usk – Monmouthshire – Wales". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
- ↑ The Buildings of Wales:Gwent/Monmouthshire, page 586
- ↑ The Buildings of Wales:Gwent/Monmouthshire, page 587
References
Newman, John (2002). Gwent/Monmouthshire. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-300-09630-9.