Search results
The medieval hagiographies of Helier, the patron saint martyred in Jersey and after whom the parish and town are named, suggest a picture of a small fishing village on the dunes between the marshy land behind and the high-water mark. An Abbey of Saint Helier was founded in 1155 on L'Islet, a tidal island adjacent to the Hermitage.
- 10.6 km² (4.1 sq mi)
The tidal island called L'Islet (The Islet) lying in Saint Aubin, Jersey (St Aubin's Bay) became the site of the Abbey (later Priory) of Saint Helier. The Crown confiscated the monastic buildings at the Reformation. Surviving buildings were used for military purposes. 16th century. Upper Ward (foreground).
- from 1595
- Jersey Heritage
- People of Jersey
- Castle
4 days ago · Saint Helier, chief town, resort, parish, and the capital of Jersey, in the Channel Islands. The town lies along St. Aubin’s Bay opposite a tidal island known as L’Islet (accessible by causeway at low tide), on the south side of Jersey Island. The town is named for St. Helier, a Frankish missionary.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In 1155 William Fitz-Hamon, member of the powerful family owning estates both in Jersey and the Cotentin, founded, on the long-deserted site of Marculf's Monastery, a new abbey, which was named in honour of the hermit who had perished so miserably 600 years before.
The site of his hermitage, and later the Abbey of Saint Helier established in 1155, became central to the spiritual life on the island. Growth Through the Ages. From its origins as a small fishing village, St Helier has experienced spasmodic growth, shaped by waves of migration and historical events.
An Abbey of St Helier was founded in 1155 on L'Islet, a tidal island adjacent to the Hermitage. This was a refoundation of the monastic community that had previously occupied the site. Saint Helier's commercial importance was underlined by the presence of a market.
The Assize Roll of 1299 contains a plaid de quo warranto which records that Pierre de Saumareis, son of Pierre de Helier (or Hilaire) declared that the site of the town then in existence was given by his ancestors to the prior of l'Islet, the small religious community on rocks off the shore.
