ABSTRACT
The abbey of Malmesbury in Wiltshire had an undistinguished history except for a brief period of fame, roughly the first half of the twelfth century, during which the romanesque church (with its remarkable sculptured friezes of biblical history and of the apostles in the south porch) was built, and William of Malmesbury was a monk there. Before that time the level of culture was low, and after it the monks relapsed into mediocrity, scarcely remembering the work of their greatest brother.1
