In 1094, the building of Christchurch Priory was started, and before that a Saxon church stood on the grounds for 2-3 centuries. There is a legend that says the church was meant to be built on the top of St Catherine's Hill a few miles away, but overnight the materials were transported to the present site. Inside the Priory is the Miraculous Beam - a beam that was found to have been cut too short when it was hoisted into place, but the next day it fitted perfectly. In the early 12th Century, the carpenters who returned that day believed that Jesus Christ had made up the difference miraculously overnight.