Ewenny Priory
Ewenny Priory (also Ewenni ) is a former Benedictine monastery in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales . The former monastery is located on the south bank of the River Ewenny about 1.6 km south of Bridgend . The church is regarded as an outstanding building of the Norman style in Wales, and the monastery was unique in the region because of its fortifications.
history
The exact date of the founding of Ewenny Priory is unknown, but after the Norman conquest of south-east Wales , William de Londres , the lord of Ogmore Castle , three kilometers to the east, founded a church before 1126. The church was consecrated to St. Michael by Bishop Urban von Llandaff . Older stones were reused in the construction of the church, suggesting an earlier Welsh church on the site. In 1141, Maurice de Londres , the son of William de Londres, confirmed the donation of the churches of Ewenny, St Brides Major and Ogmore Chapel to St Peter's Abbey in Gloucester with the wish to establish a monastery there. The abbey founded a daughter monastery in Ewenny , in which at least twelve monks should live next to the prior . Gilbert de Turberville and other nobles from the region made further donations to the monastery in the 12th and 13th centuries. As an inheritance, however, Ogmore fell to the Lords of Kidwelly in 1215 , to the Duchy of Lancaster at the end of the 13th century, and finally to the Crown. After the founding family disappeared, it did not receive any major donations and only retained its regional importance. It never had a lot of income. By 1291 the annual income was about £ 56. In 1284 Archbishop Pecham made a visit to the priory. During the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr , the priory was badly damaged in the early 15th century. When King Henry VIII introduced the Reformation, only the prior Thomas Bysley and two monks lived in the monastery. The three signed the Supreme Act in 1534 . However, the monastery, whose annual income by 1535 was over £ 78, was dissolved on January 2nd, 1540. The management of the priory had already been acquired on February 28, 1537 for 99 years by Sir Edward Carne , who also had to pay for the pension of Prior Edmund Wotton and the two monks. In 1545 Carne was given permission to buy the monastery. He and his descendants converted part of the convent building into a mansion, while the other part fell into disrepair and was eventually demolished. The eastern part of the church remained unused after the priory was dissolved and fell into disrepair. The nave, on the other hand, was used as a parish church.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the defensive walls were partly laid down to make room for a landscaped garden. Richard Turbervill inherited the property in the 18th century . His descendant Richard Picton Turbervill had the manor house extensively rebuilt in the Georgian style , supposedly according to plans by John Nash . In 1872 and 1893 the building was rebuilt again. Despite these modifications, medieval masonry has been preserved, especially in the south and west of the building. From 1869 to 1886, Thomas Picton Turbervill , advised by EA Freman , had the eastern part of the church restored. Since July 26, 1963, the church has been protected as a cultural monument along with the preserved grave monuments. It and the former fortifications are protected as a Grade I cultural monument , the former priory building as a Grade II * cultural monument, the former stables from the 19th century and other buildings of the complex as a Grade II cultural monument, plus the former monastery as a Scheduled Monument . The eastern part of the church is in the care of Cadw and can be visited, the western part still serves as the parish church of St Michael. The manor house and the surrounding buildings are privately owned and cannot be visited.
Buildings and plant
The former priory church
Most of the church was probably built around 1120 in the style of Anglo-Norman architecture and expanded a little later, with the walls being raised. Further renovations, especially on the Vierungsturm , took place around 1300 when the surrounding fortifications were expanded. The choir dates from the 14th century. However, since the monastery did not receive any major donations after the founding family died out, it lacked the funds for major renovations or extensions.
Exterior
The church was built from quarry stone and was originally plastered. The roof is covered with Welsh slate. The church originally had a cruciform floor plan with a rectangular choir, a low crossing tower, a transept with two chapels on the east side and a nave with a north aisle. Only ruins remain of the north transept and the chapels flanking the choir; the north aisle was reconstructed in the 19th century after it collapsed in the early 19th century.
Interior
The walls of the interior of the church are made of hewn stone and partially plastered. The round arches and the simple, geometric ornamentation make it look austere and dark. As early as the Middle Ages, the church was divided into the monk choir in the east and the nave, which served as a parish church. The wooden umbrella that separates the nave and the monks' choir dates in part from the 14th century. The main entrance to the choir is on the north side. The choir has a barrel vault , but the easternmost yoke has a ribbed vault . The crossing and the nave have renewed wooden ceilings. The floor of the choir has been reconstructed, the stone altar is still medieval. In the south transept there are three arched windows in the Norman style. From here a staircase led to the monks' dormitory . The door and another door in the transept are bricked up. The transept contains numerous funerary monuments on the walls and in the floor, including the early 13th century tomb of Maurice de Londres and probably that of his son William de Londres and Hawise de Londres . There are also numerous grave slabs of priors and monks of the monastery as well as a grave with members of the Carne family who died after 1650. Several plaques were erected to commemorate members of the Turberville and Carne families. Two passages with round arches led to the adjacent, barrel-vaulted, but no longer preserved chapels. Remains of medieval wall paintings have been preserved on the east wall of the transept. The stained glass windows were made in the 19th century following the example of the Arts and Crafts Movement .
The simple nave is plastered inside. The aisle is separated by four round pillars with round arches. On the walls there are simple commemorative plaques from the 18th century and a memorial plaque for the members of the parish who fell during the First World War .
The former convent building
To the south of the church were the convent buildings, which were demolished at the beginning of the 19th century. In their place, younger buildings were erected, some of which were remnants of medieval walls. Among other things, two doors from the 14th century have been preserved. Nothing has been preserved from the west and east wings of the monastery.
Weir systems
As early as the 12th century, the monastery was surrounded by a defensive wall with gates and towers, which was expanded around 1300 and finally included five towers and two gatehouses. This fortification was very unusual for a Welsh monastery, despite the frequent fighting between Welsh and Anglo-Normans. Although the fortifications were fully functional, they were mainly used for representation. The walls enclosed an area of about 173 by 118 m, which thus also enclosed mainly the south and west of the convent building. Of the walls, mainly the walls in the east and west and partly in the north have been preserved. Above all, the western wall is still fully preserved with the remains of the battlements and a battlement. The main access to the convent was obtained as a roof-less ruin northern Gatehouse provided with a case gate was secured and killer holes in the passageway. The southern gatehouse was converted into a residential building around 1860. The towers have been preserved as ruins.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ British Listed Buildings: Ewenny Priory Church. Retrieved March 15, 2018 .
- ^ Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales: An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan: Volume III - Part 1b, Medieval Secular Monuments; the Later Castles from 1217 to the present . HMSO, London 2000, ISBN 1-871184-22-3 , p. 126
- ^ British Listed Buildings: Ewenny Priory (house). Retrieved April 25, 2018 .
- ^ Elisabeth Whittle: Glamorgan and Gwent . HMSO, London 1992. ISBN 0-11-701221-1 , p. 164
- ^ British Listed Buildings: Church of St Michael. Retrieved March 15, 2018 .
- ^ Elisabeth Whittle: Glamorgan and Gwent . HMSO, London 1992. ISBN 0-11-701221-1 , p. 165
- ^ Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales: An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan: Volume III - Part 1b, Medieval Secular Monuments; the Later Castles from 1217 to the present . HMSO, London 2000, ISBN 1-871184-22-3 , p. 125
Coordinates: 51 ° 29 '19.7 " N , 3 ° 34' 3.4" W.