We have already covered the Dominican Blackfriars monastery in Gloucester on this blog. Now it is the turn of its Franciscan counterpart, located two minutes’ walk away. The Dominicans and Franciscans were two different mendicant orders in the Catholic Church, both founded in the early 13th century. Whilst the similarities between them outnumbered the differences, the Franciscans favoured a simpler, less academic preaching style than the Dominicans, and were more severe in their vows of poverty.
The friary at Gloucester was founded in 1231, and the church was rebuilt in the Perpendicular Gothic style by the wealthy Berkeley family in the 16th century, shortly before the dissolution of the monasteries. The building was heavily damaged during the English civil war, and only a shell remains today.
The property is now maintained by English heritage, and is open to the public free of charge during daylight hours. It is situated half a mile from Gloucester bus and railway stations, and the postcode is GL1 2EZ.