The Church and Friary of St Francis (known locally as Gorton Monastery) is a 19th century former Franciscan Friary in Gorton, in east-Manchester, England. The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and built their Friary between 1863 and 1867. The foundation stone for the Church was laid in 1866 and completed in 1872; it closed for worship in 1989. It is believed to be one of the finest examples of High Victorian Gothic architecture in the world. The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... Gorton is a district in Manchester, United Kingdom, to the south-east of the city centre. ... Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, North West England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Franciscans is the common name used to designate a variety of mendicant religious orders of men or women tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi and following the Rule of St. ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic Revival was an architectural movement which originated in mid-18th century England. ...

It was designed by Edward Welby Pugin (1834-1875). Edward Welby Pugin (1834-1875) was the eldest son of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, a famous architect & designer of Gothic architecture. ...

In 1997, Gorton Monastery was placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World alongside Pompeii, Taj Mahal and the Valley of the Kings. The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic art and architecture worldwide through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training. ... Pompeii (pom-pay) is a ruined Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the commune of Pompei. ... Taj Mahal The Tāj Mahal (Hindi: ) is a monument located in Agra, India, at 27° 1028. ... Location of the valley in the Theban Hills, West of the Nile, October 1988 (red box shows location) The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; Gates of the King)[1] is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to...

The Church and associated Friary buildings are currently undergoing a £6 million restoration programme supported by funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and European Regional Development Fund and will re-open in spring 2007 as a multi-functional venue for conferences, events, concerts weddings etc. A play here! sign outside a newsagent, incorporating the National Lotterys logo of a stylised hand with crossed fingers. ... English Heritage is a United Kingdom government body with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. ... European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Scope As part of its task to promote regional development, the ERDF contributes towards financing the following measures: Productive investment to create and safeguard sustainable jobs; Investment in infrastructure which contributes, in regions covered by Objective 1, to development, structural adjustment and creation and maintenance...

External links

• www.gortonmonastery.co.uk