The current structure was originally the church of the Benedictine Priory, established under Hamelin de Balun the first Norman holder of the title Lord Abergavenny, which in the 1090s became Baron Bergavenny. At this time it was a cell of the Abbey of Saint Vincent at Le Mans in France. Henry de Abergavenny was a prior here and later at Llandaff in the late 12th century and was chosen to assist at the coronation of King John I of England in 1199. Successive Lords of Abergavenny were by necessity also benefactors, including William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber. In 1320 John Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings, called on the Pope to set up an investigation into the Priory, in which the monks were accused of failing to maintain the Benedictine Rule. The prior, Fulk Gaston, absconded to the mother Abbey with the church silver.

By the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries the Priory had only the prior and four monks. Due to the close connections between the Lords of Abergavenny and the Tudor dynasty the priory was spared and became the parish church.^{[4] *}

The Herbert Chapel contains recumbent monuments and effigies, in both alabaster and marble, associated with the ap Thomas and Herbert families. These include Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook, executed with his elder brother William, Earl of Pembroke after the Battle of Edgecote in 1469 and William’s illegitimate son Richard Herbert of Ewyas. The latter was brought up with Pembroke’s ward Henry Tudor, later Henry VII, and fought on his side at Bosworth in 1485.^[6]

Within the chapel are also monumental brasses dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.

In 2018 the chapel was dedicated to St Benedict whose rule the Priory monks followed.*

The Jesse is an elaborate, very large, 15th-century wooden carving which would have once been part of an even larger carving forming a Jesse Tree telling the lineage of Jesus Christ based on that in the Bible. It is unique in Britain and described by Tate Britain as one of the finest medieval sculptures in the world. The art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon called it the one “unarguably great wooden figure” remaining from the Middle Ages.^[7] In 2016 a new stained-glass Jesse window designed by Helen Whittaker was installed in the Lewis Chapel, incorporating the wooden Jesse at its foot.^[8][9][10] The project was visited in April 2016 by the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd John Sentamu;^[11] and the completed work was dedicated in the presence of Charles, Prince of Wales, on 7 July 2016.^[12] The Jesse effigy was placed on a newly designed plinth in position below the Jesse Window in 2017.*

* Information from Wikipedia

Our breakfast was accompanied by a loud teleconference call that was taking place on a nearby table. The call was upsetting and my heart went out to the family who were coping with a premature birth. The nature of some of the conversation turned my stomach a little whilst I was trying to enjoy my breakfast. I think the conversation would have been more appropriate in a quiet area away from the breakfast room but I hope the little one is doing well after its unexpected early ordeal.

We loaded the car, checked out and took the Welsh border route in order to take in a couple of castles on the way home.

The first castle on Mr C’s itinerary was Monmouth. The remains were minimal and the attached museum wasn’t open until the afternoon. Walking back through the town, we noticed a book shop which called us inside. We didn’t leave empty handed. I found a book that I had looked for on my previous holiday in Brighton; “Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Church” (Peter Ross). It is a book that I read about in Country Walking magazine which features a lovely church (with angels) that I visited on last years Norfolk adventure. I could have ordered it online but sometimes I just have to hold a book in my hands before I purchase it.

We rejoined our route along the Welsh border, stopping at castle number two, Raglan. This castle with its moated tower is far more substantial than Monmouth. Raglan was built 150 years later than the turbulent era that saw castles built along the English/Welsh border. Raglan was intended to impress more than intimidate. The castle looked stunning in the sunshine that emerged as we arrived.

We thought we might find a bakery in Raglan town where we could purchase some made-to-order sandwiches for lunch. This was not to be so we continued along our Welsh border route to Abergavenny where we noticed a promising bakery. After parking the car, we found the bakery somewhat lacking in sandwich (and drink) opportunities but we were both able to find a tasty morsel to satisfy our lunch time appetite.

We ate our lunch sitting on a bench outside the delightful Priory Church of St Mary. The church houses a collection of memorial effigies and a 15^th century wooden carving; The Jesse which was once part of a larger carving forming Jesse Tree depicting the lineage of Jesus Christ as detailed in the Bible. A modern stained-glass window of the Jesse Tree has been installed which now substitutes for the missing part of the carving.

On our way home we picked up lasagne allowing us to enjoy ‘Fine Dining’ on our patio as the sun went down.