ST, Michael's mount. 241 



Worcester's description of it as "newly built."* Leland points 

 out tlie priests' lodgings, but says nothing of nuns. The church, 

 with its thick, unbuttressed walls, is probably the same as 

 Worcester saw and paced, being just over 60 feet in length and 

 20 feet across. It appears to be a building of the 14th century, 

 with later additions and alterations, notably the insertion of 

 windows in the 1 5th century, from which time date the beautiful 

 pieces of coloured glass preserved in the windows of the Church 

 and Chevy Chase room. Borlase tells us that in his time there 

 were "at the altar two tall Eastern windows with a rose at the 

 finishing of the top," which I think we may take as meaning 

 that the original two-light decorated window had been allowed to 

 stay there when the other windows were replaced. The seats are 

 modern and the ornamentation is modern, the handsome 

 Chandelier representing St. Michael surmounted by the Yirgin 

 and Child, is apparently of no great age ; but there is an 

 old-world air about the whole of the little church, with its 

 beautiful east rose-window,f that makes it still easy to picture the 

 old monks, in their sombre garb of black, engaged here in praise 

 and prayer; or mounting the newel stairway, that leads to the 

 top of the tower, to light the lamp that shall guide home the 

 belated fishing boats, for which perhaps they have been anxiously 

 watching from the same place for hours. You can picture them 

 as they ascend the steps and file in at the beautiful north door 

 (which, like the tower, dates from the 14th century), crossing 

 themselves as they pass the sculptured cross at the head of the 

 steps. J One fancies them, too, going through the low doorway 

 (discovered in 1725, built up) in the south wall, and by the stairs 

 entering the little vault below (8 feet by 6 feet), where were 

 discovered (gruesome sight) the uncoffined bones of a man, and 

 one wonders what had occurred there. Dark deeds perchance, 

 though we have no evidence to lead us to think so. At any rate 



* The brass plate above this door records the visit of H. M. the Queen and 

 Prince Albert to the Mount, 6th September, 1846. 



t There is a more beautiful one at the west end but hidden by the organ. 

 We understand that Lord St. Levan purposes to have the organ pipes rearranged 

 so as to once more throw this open to view. 



X This beautiful Edwardian cross has on the North side the Crucifixion, on 

 the South the Virgin and child, on the East a monk, and on the West a King. 



