Holy Trinity's role as a parish church hides its extraordinary importance in the history of monasticism in York and in the North of England. In 1089 the Benedictines from Marmoutier in Normandy, known in York as the 'Alien Benedictines', created a priory here, on the site of a pre-Conquest church, which itself was possibly the successor of Alcuin of York's great Saxon church, the Alma Sophia.

During the 13th century the monks of Holy Trinity created a beautifully illuminated Bestiary, or Book of Beasts, currently in St John's College, Oxford. Illustrations from this unique work are included in the exhibition on a touchscreen computer. A Victorian antiquarian, Walter Harvey Brook, carried out impressive excavations to unravel the complex history of Holy Trinity during the restoration of the church around 1899-1906. His notes and drawings will be featured in the display. Examples of stonework, including a 13th century piscina, have been conserved and mounted with interpretation, using contemporary and newly commissioned illustrations. The exhibition also provides a link to present day monastic houses, of all denominations, especially those established in the Yorkshire area, for visitors with an interest in the spiritual life.

Holy Trinity Micklegate York