St Mary's Priory, Old Malton

Old Malton, United Kingdom

The only remaining Gilbertine church still in regular use. The Gilbertines were the only English Monastic order, founded by Gilbert of Sempringham about 1131. Gilbert, born a cripple, died aged 106 in 1190, and was declared a saint within twelve of years of his death by Pope Alexander III. The Book of Gilbert, detailing the evidence by which he was made a saint still survives. Unlike almost every other monastic order, the Gilbertines had both men and women, and most of their houses were double houses, with both Priors and Nuns.

Old Malton Priory, founded 1149, was one of the few houses which was for Priors only. Following the death of Gilbert, it became the headquarters of the order for about 50 years. Despite the poverty of the order, it was one of the very last monasteries to be closed during the dissolution of the monateries, in 1539. Today, the church is less than a quarter of its original size, but is still a spectacular building both outside and in, with some mediaeval misericords, and also remains from an earlier saxon church on the site.

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Address

Town Street 18, Old Malton, United Kingdom
See all sites in Old Malton

Details

Founded: 12th Century
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom

More Information

www.stmarysmalton.org.uk

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

DeVille Hall (18 months ago)
Beautiful peaceful old place with lovely walks across fields and by the river to The Old Lodge and Museum gardens .One of the highlights of a visit to Malton.
Lynne (2 years ago)
Lovely church and abbey grounds
ann h (2 years ago)
Lovely church, highly recommend you visit,
Angus Deas (2 years ago)
Wonderful old church. Very interesting history
Lydia Reveley (2 years ago)
Mesmerising. Staff are absolutely lovely and super helpful. It's a wondeful chance to say a prayer for someone dear, share your thoughts and hopes or take a minute to think of loved ones. Absolutely beautiful! It was nice to be able to make a contribution on leaving as the volunteers work extremely hard to ensure the church is open for people to visit!
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