I finish my rhapsody of churches and abbeys with a visit to Llanthony Priory, not far from the old small churches at Cmwyoy and Patricio that I have recently described.
Llanthony Priory is set in a secluded steep-sided valley within the Brecon Beacons National Park in southeast Wales. It dates back to around 1100. A church was consecrated in 1108 and ten years later a group of around 40 canons founded a priory here.
But in 1135, after many attacks by the local Welsh population, the monks retreated to Gloucestershire, where they founded a second cell, Llanthony Secunda. However, with grants from English and Irish knights and also from the Pope (Clement III) the priory was reestablished, and a new church was completed in 1217.
The Priory became one of great medieval buildings in Wales, but now only the ruins remain. Its magnificent location and the row of pointed archways are what struck me first arriving there. I understand it is quite a popular place to visit in summer, but on a cold February day, I was alone with my camera.
With this post I finish my stories about villages, churches and abbeys from Herefordshire and nearby areas in Wales. My forthcoming posts will cover an entirely different region. I am taking you to northern Finland near the Russian border, which Jennifer and I visited in January last year. It is a story about snow – lots of it, but also about birdlife, from the Siberian Jay to the Royal Eagle.