Parish & worship
Tithe Barn 
Holywell Community
Welcome to ST MARY'S PRIORY, Abergavenny
For over one thousand years, we have served the people of Abergavenny and the surrounding area – after the model of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The website shows how we currently serve the community, and a little about our history. It is not intended as a replacement for actually visiting us, which we hope you will want to do after exploring our website. At the heart of our mission and witness is the worship of God. In fulfilling the commandments of Jesus Christ, we seek to be a Eucharist-centred community where people of all ages are able to participate fully in the Body of Christ. Whether you are visiting our site as a fellow Christian, an historian, or for commercial reasons, the people of St Mary's say welcome.
Whats on at St Mary's Priory
St Mary's Priory, and the Garden of Remembrance is usually open between 10.00am and 2.00pm which are our core hours. See pew leaflet for services.
The Parish Office is usually open during the core hours of 10.00am and 2.00pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please phone 01873 858787 before visiting to ensure the Priory will be open for visitors. Do leave a message and we will return your call as soon as we are able to.
Fr John Connell is the Rector of Abergavenny.
There are currently three services each Sunday in the Priory; Said Eucharist at 8.00am, sung Priory Eucharist at 11.00am and Choral Evensong at 5.00 pm (Evensong takes place at Christchurch on the 1st Sunday of the month). The weekly services can be found on the Pew Leaflet. St Mary's Priory is open during the week for those who wish to pray and spend time in quiet before God from 10.00am - 2.00pm on Monday to Friday and 10.00am until 3.00pm on Saturday.
Building Works at St Mary’s
On Monday morning (8th April), builders will be arriving in St Mary’s to install scaffolding needed to enable works to be done in the North Transept and Lewis Chapel which will take approximately six weeks. This means there will be no access to the Lewis Chapel, although Jesse will be accessible from the chancel area either by going through the choir stalls, or from the Herbert Chapel. Candles will still be able to be lit by the Crucifix, however, the candles by the Mary Icon should be accessed from the Nave altar area for safety reasons. The Wednesday 10am Eucharist service will take place in the Chancel during this period, and the Friday evening Evensong services will take place as usual in the Choir Stalls/Chancel (starting Friday 24th April). There will also be scaffolding around this works area outside the church by the Garden of Remembrance, which could make access to the garden problematic, but until the scaffolding has been erected, we are not sure how access will be affected but we hope there will be a path left for access to the garden. These areas will effectively be a building site whilst the works go on, so we would ask you to be aware at all times, as health and safety for all will be crucial.
Please bear with us during this time. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused, but this is major structural work to the church which must be done. If you have any queries, please speak with either Robin or Maggie (01873 858787) (if you can’t contact Robin), and we will try to answer your queries.
Visitors are welcome to view the antiquities and historic tombs whilst the work is ongoing.
A contactless payment system is available for donations in the church.
We are tremendously grateful to all who are enabling this to happen by stewarding and cleaning.
The Memorial Garden at St Mary’s will be open at the same times as the church to allow people to tend and visit graves.
We publish a list of events planned for the coming months, and will update the list of cancellations as they are decided. Find out more...
You can read here The Church in Wales Coronavirus (Covid 19) policy
Priory Church at St Mary's Priory
The Church, described as the "Westminster Abbey of Wales", attracts thousands of visitors each year who come to view the fine collection of historic monuments, medieval carvings or simply to seek a quiet place for contemplation and prayer.
The Church faces outwards to the community and welcomes a wide range of schools and group activities.
The Tithe Barn at St Mary's Priory
Access at present to the Tapestry and exihibits in the Tithe Barn is between the hours of 10.00am and 2.00pm, which are our core hours.
The restored Tithe Barn explains and interprets the history of the Priory Church through interactive exhibitions and activities for both children and adults, whilst the Learning Service workshops enable school children to explore the Tudor life with hands on living history.
The magnificent Abergavenny Tapestry, hand stitched by Abergavenny residents, celebrates the history of the town.
The Barn also houses the Studio of our Artist in Residence, Jez Thomas.
The Priory Centre at St Mary's Priory
The history, hospitality and incomparable setting of St Mary’s Priory make it an ideal venue for wedding receptions and celebrations and provides a meeting place for groups.
The conference rooms, with state of the art facilities, make it the perfect place for creativity and problem solving.