A CENTURIES-old figure of Christ that once adorned a York abbey will return to the city after nearly two centuries.

The rare object, made in Limoges, France, in the 13th century, was found in 1826 in the ruins of St Mary's Abbey in York.

It disappeared for nearly 100-years before it became part of a private collection in Germany in the 1920s.

The gilded and enamelled ornament will now be displayed at the Yorkshire Museum, on the site of the former abbey, after it was bought by the York Museums Trust.

The Northern Echo:

Curator Lucy Creighton with the ornament Picture: PA

Lucy Creighton, curator of archaeology at the Yorkshire Museum, said: "The figure of Christ is a stunning example of 13th century religious art - few examples survived in this country in such a complete state.

"This alone would make it a very special object but to be able to trace its origins to St Mary's Abbey, where the Yorkshire Museum now stands, means it is an incredibly rare and extremely valuable find."

She added: "It is a real thrill to be able to put it on display just a stone's throw from where it would have been on show 800 years ago."

The 16cm figure is one of few objects to have survived Henry VIII's brutal dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s.

It is not known where it was between 1826 and 1920, when it became part of the collection of Franz Monheim of Aachen, and was feared lost to the public.

It will now go on display in the museum, alongside other objects, including the York Helmet, the Gilling Sword and the Ormside Bowl.