AN Abergavenny church has benefited from £25,000 in funding towards maintaining and restoring its chapel.

St Mary’s Priory Church received the cash from the Garfield Weston Trust for the Lewis Chapel, which is named after Dr David Lewis, the first Principal of Jesus College, Oxford- and contains his tomb. It is also home to the world famous Jesse figure in the north transept, depicting the lineage of Jesus Christ and is the only one of its kind in the world.

The chapel will house the new stained-glass Jesse Window, which will be designed by Helen Whittaker, in memory of the Very Reverend Jeremy Winston, who died in 2011.

It is hoped the window, which is being funded from local church events and grants, will be completed by next summer.

Father Mark Soady, who took over from Father Jeremy Winston as Vicar of Abergavenny, said: “We are very grateful to Garfield Weston for their generosity and for their support of, and trust in the project”.

“It is our intention for this area to become both an intimate worship area, but also an education resource where people can study our treasurers”.

The Garefield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, grant-making trust which has been supporting charities across the UK for over 50 years.