@maninayton And The Wonderful Fountains Abbey
The Abbey lies on the river Skell in North Yorkshire and is one of the largest and most complete monastic ruins in the UK.
The name Fountains Abbey is due to a large number of natural springs that are in the valley where the Abbey sits.
Beginnings
The Abbey started life in 1132 when Benedictine monks from St Marys Abbey in York moved to the area.
Their aim was to live a more devout lifestyle and within three years their small community became part of the Cistercian Order, a much more austere way of life than the Benedictine Order.
The picture above shows the Abbey as it would have been in its heydey.
Henry VIII Comes Along
Over the next 400 years, the Abbey survived Scottish raids, riots, bad harvests, financial collapse and the Black Death.
However, in 1539 the Abbey was forced to close down when Henry VIII, in a huge money grab, ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
In 1550 the Crown sold the estate to Sir Richard Gresham, a wealthy London merchant.
Up To The Modern Day
The Abbey remained in private hands until 1966 when it was taken over by the County Council.
In 1983 the site was purchased for the nation by the National Trust. Since that time they have built a visitor centre and developed and preserved the site for future generations to enjoy.
In 2016 a total of nearly 415,000 visitors came to soak up the unique atmosphere of this wonderful place.
Photograph Album
The following images were taken by the author during a trip to Fountains Abbey a few years ago.
Sources For This Post
Images.
All images are by the author except for the reconstruction picture which was taken from:-
External site -
flickr.com/photos/psulibscollections
Information for this post
External site -
Visitor figures taken from alva.org
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Until next time - take care of yourselves.
Looks beautiful, everything is so green around it. Followed and upvoted :)
Thank you for your comment and the follow @sixexgames. It is certainly a beautiful place and if one goes when there are fewer visitors it has a haunting atmosphere.
Wonderful!!! It's well preserved, that's really great! :)
Thanks. It is a fantastic place.
@maninayton
Beautiful writeup!Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your kind comment @qagiri. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Fabulous fascinating place. I have been there many times. It has such a wonderful feel to the site. I studied the Cistercian order (Trappist Monks and nuns) for years. I used to spend 7/10 days twice every year in a Cistercian Abbey in Cappoquinn, Waterford until 2010. I love the quiet.
They were a silent order for many years, speaking only in their own sign language to one another. The older monks still use it on occasion.
A really good post with great photographs.
Thanks, @katdvine. I'm pleased you enjoyed the post and that it brought back memories for you. I have toyed with the idea of spending some time in a monastery just to get away from everything for a while.
I would definitely recommend it. I go to Mount Melleray Abbey in Cappoquinn in County Waterford. The monks are of the Cistercian Order.
When I first started going there they had a guesthouse at the back of the cloister. Many famous people have stayed there too. One time I was there Tony Robinson stayed for a few days. Very interesting person. Many authors have enjoyed found inspiration in the silence. I got up with the monks at 4am to sing. psalms.
Now they have a new and modernised guesthouse. One pays only as much as one can afford. I love the Cistercian monasteries because they are not as adorned as other churches etc...they don't do lots of statues etc; their churches are more minimalist. It's all about "just being", they are a contemplative order.
The Benedictines are very similar. One comes away spiritually refreshed.
I live a contemplative lifestyle myself. I am not religious, but I felt very comfortable with this way of life.
I hope you do try it, I think you would find it most beneficial. It certainly taught me to prioritise.
Thanks for that. I think it is something I will definitely do at some point in the future. It sounds the kind of thing that would appeal to me....maybe not the 4am start though!
Beautiful place! Built in 1132! It is what all Europe has .... so much culture and so old! The Benedictine order is one of the orders I respect most. Great post. I'll resend it. Thanks for sharing.
Greetings from the Andes.
Thanks for the resteem. Europe does have so much history but then again your part of the world also has it ancient past and civilisations. We are only starting to find out about them but I think there are going to be quite a few suprises as far as archaeology is concerned in the future.
Yes. There are ancient cultures but art in Europe is breathtaking! Greeting
I am always amazed at the juxtaposition between these magnificent buildings and the squalor that the majority of people were living in at the time. I suppose the same is true today in many parts of the world.