The chapel of Our Lady in the Undercroft forms part of the western crypt. Whilst the original crypt was completed by Anselm around 1100 AD, the filigree stone screens at the back of the chapel are dated to around 1370. They were probably funded by the Black Prince, who expressed the wish (in the event ignored) to be buried here. An alternative possible source of finance could have been Lady Mohun , who died in 1404 and is buried alongside the chapel – the canopy of her monument breaks through the Undercroft screen. The bronze Virgin and child standing on the altar (Image 3) is a replacement for a stolen 17th century ivory Madonna from Portugal.
What to see:
- twisted piers and groin vaults which survive from Anselm‘s time (1100)
- the elaborate screen work which has close affinities to the tomb of Archbishop Stratford who died in 1348
- the bronze Virgin and child which stands in a niche over the altar – created in 1981 by Mother Concordia, Prioress of Minster Priory
Sources: standard sources
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