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The South Porch of the Abbey Church of St Mary & St Aldhelm, Malmesbury is famous for its remarkable carvings dating originally from the Norman era and considered amongst the finest such carvings extant in Britain.
Dating originally from the C12th the porch was rebuilt externally in the C14th but much of the carving is from the earlier date.
The splayed round-arch entrance is of three orders (i.e. three concentric semi-circles) each richly carved with Biblical scenes set in oval panels. Each order is recessed from the preceding one and framed by carved mouldings.
Within the porch on either side are finely carved representations of the apostles (six seated on each (west and east) wall with an angel flying above them). These, though worn, are still in remarkable condition.
Ahead another door leads into the main body of the church, and above it is a tympanum (semi-circular decorative wall surface) featuring Christ in Glory supported by two angels.
This church is worth a detour simply to see this porch.

Originally built as the church of the Benedictine Abbey, the Abbey Church of St Mary & St Aldhelm now serves as the parish church of Malmesbury.
Although still a very impressive building, it is just a fraction of its original size due to two calamities, the first natural, the second man-made.
In 1479 its great spire was felled during a thunderstorm and much of the eastern end of the church was destroyed with it. Then, about 60 years later the Dissolution of the Monasteries transferred most of the buildings to William Stumpe. No longer required for monastic purposes buildings such as the cloisters gradually fell into ruin, then in c.1662 the West Tower also fell, fortunately not to such devastating effect as the earlier catastrophe.
The abbey dates originally from as early as 637 when it was founded by an Irish hermit by the name of Mailduib, however no work from before the C12th survives.
The main abbey was built between 1160 and 1180 with considerable additions in the following three centuries.
See also separate snippet: South Porch, Malmesbury Abbey
And see the EH listing Link for far more detailed information about its history and architecture.

Malmesbury Abbey was founded in the 7th century, burnt in the early 9th century, rebuilt and burnt again in 1042. The surviving church largely dates from c1160-70, one of the few English monastic houses with a continual history from the 7th century to the Dissolution.
The main reason for the abbey's prosperity was the shrine of St.Aldhelm Link and it was one of the last religious houses to be suppressed in 1539.