Power & Piety - A Story of Coventry's First Cathedral

From Saxon nunnery to one of medieval England’s great cathedrals. A place of worship, politics, and conflict, St Mary’s stood as both a symbol of faith and a valuable prize in the contest of power and piety.

We are two recent graduates of Coventry University, where we spent three years immersed in the study of History. Both of us plan to continue on to master’s degrees in the subject, but first we chose to take a year out — a chance to reflect, reset, and decide our next steps. I’m a born-and-bred Coventrian (Ffion), while Rory hails from Stoke-on-Trent. Together, we wanted a project that would challenge us academically and creatively, while also keeping us grounded as we worked full-time.

The short film we’ve created is intended to be both accessible and enjoyable for all audiences. History is full of extraordinary stories, and our aim was to bring some of them to life. From Lady Godiva and Earl Leofric’s endowment of a monastery to a bloody battle fought before a half-built cathedral, from the rise of oligarchic merchants to the dramatic dissolution of a once-majestic structure — the cathedral-priory of Coventry is not short on drama. Our hope is that this film captures some of that energy and makes the past vivid and approachable for everyone.

This is a story of the priory-cathedral’s past, told through the eyes of those who called it home. At its heart is the theme of power and piety: the influence this site wielded, and the devotion that surrounded it. Our journey takes viewers from its contested beginnings as an Anglo-Saxon nunnery to its final days in the shadow of Henry VIII’s religious reforms. For centuries this site held immense cultural and spiritual significance, before it fell into ruin and was lost to time. Through this film, we hope to restore some of its voice and invite others to see the wonder it still holds.

In September 2025, we exhibited the film at the Undercroft in Coventry as part of Coventry Heritage Week (14/09/2025), and held a Q&A with attendees on both the history explored in the documentary and the production process behind it.

For more information, essays and about us, please visit our companion website at www.powerandpietycoventry.com

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