Walsingham Priory

Walsingham Priory, originally established in the 12th century, was a monastery of Augustinian Canons regular in Walsingham, Norfolk, England. Also known as the Augustinian Priory of The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it became a significant pilgrimage site, associated with the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, before being seized by the Crown and largely destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII in the 16th century. The Priory Grounds are best known for their historical association with the 11th-century Anglo-Saxon chapel and the Holy House, the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. The Holy House itself was the most notable feature, housing the revered image of the Virgin Mary. Traditionally believed to be a replica of the house where Mary lived in Nazareth, it became the central focus of pilgrimage for centuries. The original location of these now-lost structures, once part of the medieval priory, is now marked by a plaque and a marker stone within the grounds of Walsingham Abbey, placed following archaeological excavations in 1961. Today, visitors can explore the grounds of Walsingham Abbey and the Shirehall Museum, which remain open to the public.