Thetford, Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The only surviving remains in England of a priory of Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, who aided pilgrims to Christ's tomb: the ruined nave of their 14th century church, later used as a barn.

The Priory of the Holy Sepulchre was founded in about 1148 by William de Warenne, as home to a community of Canons of the Holy Sepulchre.

It was then one of only six such houses in the country, and today these unassuming ruins are the only standing remains in England of this small independent religious order. 

The canons were all ordained priests and the order derived from one founded in Jerusalem that aimed to provide aid to pilgrims visiting the supposed site of Christ’s burial.