Monks of Micklegate is an interactive exhibition based in Holy Trinity, Micklegate to explain and celebrate the life and achievements of the Benedictine monks who once created a remarkable community here.
Though it is thought that Holy Trinity's origins date back to Roman times, in 1089 Benedictine monks arrived from Normandy and built a large monastic complex with a priory church at its heart.
Sue Raines of Dick Raines Design has spent over two years researching the story of Holy Trinity church for this new exhibition. This research took Sue to St John's College Oxford where a beastiary, a book of beasts depicting the Christian story of creation made by the monks of York.
This 800 page book has 90 coloured illustrations which Sue discovered had not lost any of their colour or vibrancy. Reproduced and enlarged these images play an important part in the Monks of Micklegate. "A beastiary is a book for moral instruction and they were popular because the church found them useful for basing sermons around. Like stained glass windows, they were stories for people who couldn't read"
The industrious monks produced their own paper and ink for the beastiary; how they did this is told in the exhibition's activities.
The Benedictines kept one foot in the cloister and one in the outside world, founding schools, caring for the sick in their hospitals and inventing things like watermills and windmills. Offering hospitality to strangers was a key part of Benedictine life then and remains so today.
Monks of Micklegate has a serious note detailing Robert Aske's resistance against Henry VIII's move to destroy the religious orders' wealth and power, culmination in his trial and execution for treason and the hanging of 250 other supporters.
But it isn't all serious- the story of the Monks of Micklegate is brought to life with fun games, quizzes and interactive panels - Ideal for enquiring minds of all ages!
Exhibition Thanks and Credits-
Dick and Sue Raines of Dick Raines Design for the research, writing and design of this exhibition Zoe Kemp, Churches Regional Commision for Yorkshire and the Humber for the planning and grant application support St Martin cum Gregory and Holy Trinity Parish Council Heritage Lottery Fund Tony Barton and Peter Richardson for the illustrations Holy Trinity Bestiary images reproduced by permission of the President and Fellows of St John Baptist College, Oxford
Downloadable Resources-
