The Hospital of St Mary Magdalene is a former

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

religious complex in

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It built around 1310 by the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monks of

Glastonbury Abbey Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Its ruins, a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument, are open as a visitor attraction. The abbey was founded in the 8th century and enlarged in the 10th. It w ...

. The hospital is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, and a portion has been scheduled as an

ancient monument In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The ''Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 ...

History

The hospital was built before 1322, as almshouses for ten men, with a chapel. Parts of the original chapel still survive. This was once attached to a hall which was demolished after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The rest of the buildings are late medieval, believed to have been built in 1444. A previous hospital supported by

moved to the current site around 1250 and in 1460 dedicated to Mary Magdalene the patron saint of

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

s. In the 16th century it was considered a

chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area i ...

and financial support for the brethren and priest being given by the abbey until the dissolution. After this funding was provided by the crown and county treasurer of hospitals. The hall roof was removed and the cubicles on each side converted into individual dwellings, or cells, leading to the chapel. In the early 17th century the almshouses were described as "ruinous" and by 1703 the chapel had lost its roof. In the 19th century conversion and updating reduced the number of dwellings and provided a communal wash house. The south side of the parallel rows was demolished in the 1960s and a communal garden and flats for the elderly built on the site. One of the almshouses has been restored and is open to the public.

Architecture

The stone chapel is a single room. The original lancet window has been blocked up. On the roof is a small

bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

which is more recent than the walls of the building. It has space for two bells one of which still exists. The cells are of two storeys and have slate roofs.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Almshouses and Chapel of St Mary Magdalene's Hospital
St Margaret's Chapel and Royal Magdalene Almshouses
Grade II* listed buildings in Mendip District Almshouses in Somerset Glastonbury Scheduled monuments in Mendip District