Wall hangings in St. Mary's Priory Church, Abergavenny

As you enter the door to the church, pause and look behind you. There are two superb wall hangings in beautiful colours and full of symbolism. These are the work of Elizabeth Brown who designed and hand made them in 10 months, busying herself 4 to 6 hours most days. The fabrics (some of which date from the 1920's) include silks, satins, cloth of gold, brocade, crash, linen, cotton and wool. She describes these works as her Magnus Opus and they are indeed a great work.

Whilst i have used the term "symbol", I think a more apposite word is "emblem" which implies a more precise denotation.. Forgive me if the photographs are taken from ground level but, at 87 and with restricted mobility, I was not ready to climb a ladder even if one were offered - and the idea is that you visit yourself and gaze in wonder.

The left-hand hanging

This depicts the hand of God at the top emerging from the darkness - which I interpret as the original Chaos. Below is a dove, emblem of purity, and beneath the bird is the Tree of Life. (I think of that as connected to the family tree of Jesus which once stood above the world-famous reclining statue of Jesse at the far end of the church). A river flows past 12 bulrushes representing the 12 apostles.

The right-hand hanging

At the top is an angel blowing a trumpet. In the Great Chain of Being, angels came between God and humans, all of which are above animals, plants and minerals. Then are depicted a ram (a reference to the story of Abraham and Isaac) and an ox, emblem of strength and majesty. Beneath the ox are 3 vessels for wine, water and oil, followed in a downwards direction by a honeycomb containing 33 bees, one for each year of the life of Jesus. At the bottom is a net of fish with the connotation of the secret symbol used by early Christians partly because it was easy to draw with two lines and also because it is an an acronym for the Greek for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour: ICHTHYS. Many of the disciples were fishermen and one of the miracles is the feeding of the 5000 from 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread.

I do hope I have induced you to visit the Church and spend time decoding the hangings. Since this blog encourages public transport, I can tell you that there are good bus connections to Abergavenny and a railway station a decent walk from the town. We always reward ourselves with a slice of home made CAKE after our viewing and you may indulge yourself at the excellent Tithe Barn cafe, just opposite.  This has its own fascinations. some of which i have mentioned in another post. You can use the Search button to read about this and more about the church itself.

The Abergavenny Tithe Barn

Tax dodging

   The word "tithe" derives from the Old English "teogotha" meaning a tenth and these were paid as a compulsory contribution of 10% by parishioners to a religious organisation or government, often in the form of agricultural produce which was stored in a barn and went towards the support of the village priest - who was exempt. Naturally this provoked anger as can be heard in the rousing harvest song from the 5th Act of Dryden's opera of King Arthur:

                 We've cheated the parson, we'll cheat him again,

                  For why should a blockhead have one in ten?

It seems that tax evasion was just as popular then as it is now!

  

Restoration 

   This 13th century barn in Abergavenny was in danger of collapse in 1948 when the parish sold it for £400 and, during its recent history, it has been used as a carpet shop, a store for timber and grain, a theatre and a discotheque. By the late 1990's St Mary's Church had the vision for it to become an amenity at the heart of the community and it has been carefully restored: during the 4 year process scorch marks left by Owain Glyndwr's arson were found.  Prince Charles visited at the beginning of the work and again at the end.

 For the visitor

   It now houses a museum, a learning centre with interactive displays, information about the Tudors, a superb tapestry, a cafe and shop where you can buy inexpensive items such as bookmarks for 20p. Entry is free. The tapestry was made from 400 colours of wool in special stitching to give a 3D effect and was worked on from Monday to Saturday, 10a.m. till 4 p.m. It took 3 years 10 months to complete (if a bit of needlework was not quite right, it had to be unpicked) but it was ready before the Barn was completely renovated. It depicts Abergavenny's landscape and history (imaginatively!) with the motto: "Hostes nunc amici" (enemies now friends).

Serendipity and calorie therapy

   I was lucky to hear an informative talk on this amazing piece of work and afterwards - you've guessed it - had a large slice of scrumptious CAKE. If you are also emboldened by gateau you may like to go on to the Castle and ponder the gruesome massacre that took place there in the 12th century. It is only a short walk. Before that, just across the path is the church of St Mary's where there are fascinating medieval effigies.

How to get there

   Bus information at the very bottom of the page. The Barn is a few minutes' walk from the main bus station  at the bottom of town which is (though we don't mention this) next to a large car park.

For opening hours click here