St. Nicholas Church

Abergavenny, United Kingdom

The Church of St Nicholas is a parish church dating from the 13th century. Its exceptional size reflects the importance and standing of the borough of Grosmont at the time of the church's construction and has led it to be called a 'miniature cathedral'.

By the late 19th century the church was close to collapse and was saved through an extensive reconstruction in 1869–79 by J. P. Seddon.

The church is built of Old Red Sandstone with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. It comprises the nave, transepts, the central tower, a chancel, a secondary chapel and a porch.

Largely unaltered from the time of its building, by the 19th century the church had seriously decayed and its tower was close to collapse. It was rescued from dereliction in a restoration.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: c. 1232
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Rosslyn Rose (18 months ago)
Came to Grosmont to visit the castle but found so much more when deciding to visit this church. It’s fairly impressive from the outside as most churches are with a towering spire, but opening the door brought us to a historical marvel. Dating back to the 13th Century, this building offers a step back in time. Built around the same time as the castle to service the local garrison and their families attached to the castle. It’s a church of two halves. A shell that is in the middle of a renovation and a working church. In the sparce “great hall” of the church is the original medieval roof trusses and Romanesque pillars that are magnificent to view. They have a guidebook to purchase within that gives a good history of the church which has classed almost as a “mini cathedral”. Don’t miss the magnificent stone effigy of an unknown medieval knight. This is a must see place. No dedicated parking, street access only. Incredible views.
Eliot Collins (2 years ago)
An impressive 13th century church, a juxtaposition between the medieval nave and restored chancel and transepts. Worth a visit for a wider view of the village's history if you're heading to the castle.
Slawek Makaron (3 years ago)
Colin nutt (5 years ago)
Nice place and very nice people in the village
Mark Potter (5 years ago)
Fantastic ancient church
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.