St Marys Parish Church Monmouth

St Mary's was built on the site of the original Benedictine priory church.

Extensively rebuilt in 1737, with only the original tower and redesigned spire retained, it was considered to be too small by nineteenth century standards and underwent major renovations in 1881.

It has some fine William Kemp stained glass windows and a collection of recently restored medieval tiles are on display.

An interesting tombstone in the churchyard bears an acrostic commemoration 'Here lies John Rennie', which, starting at the central 'H' can be read in any direction.

Located on part of the adjacent Priory buildings, is the GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH window. This beautiful oriel window, although built three centuries after his death, commemorates the life of the medieval historian. He was possibly educated by the Benedictine Order in the town, and continued his studies at Oxford which resulted in his compilation of a History of the British Kings, which refers to the coming of Christianity, the departure of the Romans and the chivalry of the Court of King Arthur. Its contribution to European literature was immense, assisting Shakespeare with at least two of his plays (Cymbaline and King Lear) and greatly influencing and enriching the work of subsequent historians.