The ruins of the once great St Mary’s Abbey are in the “Museum Gardens”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/gardens/england/north/museum_york/index.html in York. This was one of the wealthiest and most powerful abbeys in Medieval England and the abbey estate, surrounded by a stone wall, occupied all of the present Museum Gardens. The abbot ranked equal with the Archbishop of York.
A Benedictine monastery was founded here in 1088. The original abbey church was “St Olave’s”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/churches/england/yorkshire/north_yorkshire/york/york_2/st_olave/index.html
which pre-dated the Norman conquest. It is adjacent to the abbey wall next to the main entrance of the abbey on Marygate. On the opposite side of the entrance is the large square stone St Mary’s Lodge, which was the abbey guest house. Poor people could claim alms and food here.
As the abbey grew in importance, St Olave’s Church was replaced by a larger and more splendid building in Decorated Gothic style, in the C13th. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, much of the church buildings were destroyed.
All that remains of the C13th abbey church is part of the north and west wall of the nave.
The Yorkshire Museum was built over the chapter House of St Mary’s Abbey. The vestibule and the main entrance to the chapter House have been reconstructed in the museum where they once stood.
The Hospitium, taking its name from hospitality rather than hospital, is thought to have been the guest house for lower rank visitors to the abbey. It was originally part of a group of buildings that included a brew-house and stables. The stone built ground floor dates from around 1300 and would have been the refectory and storage areas. Stone would better resist regular flooding by the river. The timber frame upper floor is later and would have offered dormitory accommodation.
The ruined gateway at the side is C15th, and was probably the entrance to a passage that ran towards the water-gate by the river.
The Museum Gardens are open daily and there is free entry. The ruins of St Mary’s Abbey are a focal point of the gardens and are most attractive surrounded by grass, mature trees and flower beds.
There are more pictures “here.”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/churches/england/ruined_abbeys/st_marys/index.html
