Priory of St Mary, Bridlington

To mark this priory church’s 900th anniversary, a four-day pilgrim route was established in 2013 from Beverley Minster

Highlights

• Priory church served by St John of Bridlington

East Yorkshire has three saints called St John. The one from Bridlington has slipped furthest from view, although the church has worked hard in recent years to make good the deficit, with thoughtful artworks and a peaceful side chapel dedicated to his memory.

The parish church is the former nave of the towering monastic church, where the saint served as prior in the 14th century. By the time of his death in 1379, he was already hailed for his saintly actions, performing miracles during his lifetime. He was formally recognised as a saint in 1401, and his body placed on top of an enormous stone platform behind the high altar. A picture of this shrine can be seen on a display panel in the south aisle, near his side chapel. It looks more like a two-storey mausoleum – a raised stone platform with a stone staircase leading up to a shrine table and reliquary.

There is nothing left of this monument now, not even one of the many statues that adorned its sides. A special petition was made to Henry VIII to excuse this shrine from destruction, but it was hacked to pieces in 1537. Even the section of the church where it was housed was demolished, so the exact location now lies outside the building, in the churchyard.

It is at least easy to locate where the shrine once stood because the church has thoughtfully installed a beautifully carved stone table, which lies outside the east end of the church. The same artist, Steve Carvill, has also created a bust of the saint in white stone, holding a boat and image of the priory, which is displayed inside the church.

Back in the churchyard, the carved stone table is inscribed with a prayer written by Margaret Beaufort that reads (rendered into modern English): “O Holy Prior of Bridlington, follower of a chaste life, pray for us.” Margaret was grandmother to a certain Henry VIII, who spared a chapel at Holywell in Wales out of respect for her (page 473), but sadly not John of Bridlington.

The saint was originally called John of Thwing, after the village of Thwing, 8 miles inland. St John is the patron saint of women suffering the pain of childbirth and also of the local fishing industry. In one miracle during his lifetime, five sailors were in fear of their lives during a storm and prayed to God to save them in the name of their local prior. John appeared miraculously on their boat and guided them safely to port. In a second miracle, in case you missed the Christ-like symbolism, he once changed water into wine.

The west window is the largest in northern English churches. Another window, just outside the chapel dedicated to the saint, depicts St John with other notables from Bridlington. He is shown holding a Bible: St John was particularly keen that people study the fourth Gospel, something that most priests like to recommend these days. His saint’s day is 21 October.

The priory was built on the site of a Saxon church and nunnery.

Directions

Priory Church, Church Green, Bridlington YO16 7JX

www.bridlingtonpriory.co.uk

W3W: ruby.yours.slot

GPS: 54.0943N 0.2023W

Bridlington railway station 1.2km

The church is open to visitors every day except Sundays during the winter. From Easter to October: Mon–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat 10am–2pm, Sun 12noon–2pm. For the rest of the year: Mon–Sat 10am–12noon, Sun 12noon–2pm. For service times and other information see the church website, which also includes plenty of material about its history and heritage.