Llanthony Priory, South Wales

I find it incredibly amazing; and it absolutely humbles me, and connects me to the past; that I am able to sit here and read the words of a man who lived over 800 years ago and have them not only have meaning, but to still possess an amazing description of the monastery in which he had lived.  I’m speaking of the work of the Monk of Llanthony and I find his description of Llanthony Priory to be better than one I could write so I shall let him speak.

‘The large and plentiful springs which flowed from the neighbouring mountains, falling in with a pleasant murmur, united into a river in the valley, and divided it in the middle, wherein were great plenty of variety of fishes amongst the crystal streams.  Sometimes, when great rains fell, which was frequent in that place, the floods, impatient of a constraint, would break out and drown the neighbouring places, overturning rocks, and tearing up trees by the roots.  There were, however, very fruitful pastures amongst these spacious mountains, and rich meadows for feeding of cattle, which did compensate for the barrenness of other part, and made amends for the want of corn.  The air was healthful, though thick, and preserved the inhabitants to an extreme old age; but the people were savage, without any religion, vagabonds, and delighted in stealth; they had no settled abode, but removed as wind and weather inclined them.

 

The French, according to their pleasant conceits, fancy the place was called Llanthony from being composed of two words, Land and Hodeney: the last is the name of a river; the former word, Lan, signifies in Welch, a church-place’

 

He is a bit wordy but his description is accurate while the 12th century Llanthony Priory today stands in a beautiful isolate location with a small medieval church of St. David still on the grounds we understand immediately when visiting what he is referring to above.  The isolation and beauty of the location is unchanged.