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Saturday, 30 March 2019

Mount Grace Priory


It was the first day of Spring! After a week or two of rain and wind, it did actually feel quite spring-like and I felt I needed a day out to celebrate. I went to Mount Grace Priory, which lies on the edge of the North York Moors National Park near Northallerton, about 50 miles north-east of Saltaire. It is a ruined medieval Carthusian monastery, founded in 1398 and dissolved (as they all were) by Henry VIII in the 1500s.

Carthusian charterhouses were different from many of the other monasteries, which were strong and active communities. Here, the monks lived as hermits, in their own cells (small houses really), only coming together in the chapel for the nocturnal liturgies, and on Sundays and feast days. They were a silent order and strictly vegetarian.

The plan of the monastery, therefore (see model on left) was a church and individual cells arranged around a central cloistered courtyard. There were at least 17 monks and a small community of lay brothers who looked after them.


The site now belongs to the National Trust, and is administered by English Heritage. The church is ruined but some of the graceful archways and the tower still stand. 


Within the ruined sanctuary is a powerful, modern sculpture by Malcolm Brocklesby: The Madonna of the Cross. Here, 'the Madonna is portrayed not as a meek figure but as a determined young woman, who understands the wonder and importance of her calling and dedicates her child to the purpose of the Creator. The sculpture incorporates both nativity, crucifixion and resurrection - the three facets of Christianity that establish the atonement of mankind'.  




7 comments:

  1. When I was younger I visited, several times this place and watched several stoats, kill a number of rabbits!!!

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  2. Yes, you've got to make the best of these few spring-like days. That looks an interesting place to visit. Jesus must have been a very stiff baby!

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  3. As is clearly to be seen, after the monastery dissolution much fine stonework was stolen for local use. Five hundred years on they don't need it any more. We should get out there with an authorization note from British Heritage and recover hundreds of tons of our fine stolen blocks to rebuild our national Priory heritage!

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  4. Magical - Thanx For Sharing

    Cheers

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  5. I'm loving the daffodils - they add some colour to the ruins.

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