Margam Abbey
Margam, Glamorgan
St Mary's is the surviving nave of a major Cistercian Abbey founded in the 12th century.
This little chapel, dedicated to St Mary, was built by the monks of Margam for the benefit of their tenants. The style of the west window dates it to about 1300 but the east window is in the Perpendicular style of the 15th century.
The chapel is in a roughly circular enclosure, suggesting that it may be on the site of an older church, and some burials (unfortunately not dated) have been found in the enclosure. In the later Middle Ages there was a famous statue of the Virgin Mary here and pilgrims came to see it, though it was never as well known as the one at Penrhys. After the Reformation, the chapel was used by local Catholics, who worshipped here in secret.
