Among the biggest and finest maintained fallen Cistercian monasteries in England is Fountains Abbey. It is situated in North Yorkshire, close to the community of Aldfield, some 3 miles to the southwest of Ripon. The abbey, which was established in 1132 A.D. and ran for 407 years till being dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539, was one of the richest monasteries in England during that time. The National Trust bought Studley Royal Park, which includes the remains of Fountains Abbey, in 1983. English Heritage is in charge of upkeep for the abbey. Saint Robert of Newminster was one of 13 monks exiled from Abbey of St Mary of York, following a disagreement and riot in 1132 A.D. They were given shelter by Thurstan, the Archbishop of York, who also gave them property in the valley of the River Skell, a branch of the Ure. The confined valley provided all the natural elements required for the construction of a monastery, including protection from the elements, building materials like stone and wood, and a source of flowing water. The monks gave the area the name Fountains because it was nourished by six springs. The monks made an application to join the Cistercian order after suffering through a difficult winter in 1133 A.D. The community had more than 500 houses by the start of the thirteenth century and had been a rapidly expanding reform action since the close of the preceding century. Fountains, following Rievaulx, became the second Cistercian monastery in northern England in 1135. The Fountains monks were forced to submit to leadership of St. Bernard at Clairvaux Abbey in Burgundy. The party was taught how to observe the seven Canonical Hours in conformity with Cistercian usage by Geoffrey of Ainai, a monk sent from Clairvaux, and was also trained how to build wooden structures in keeping with Cistercian tradition! [Information Credit : Fountains_Abbey, Wikipedia; Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountains_Abbey ] [Image: Fountains Abbey, Ripon, North Yorkshire, England; mage-Credit : Lewis Ashton , Pexels; (Please Relate to Source Image-URL for More Image Usage Property and License) Image-Source-Link : https://www.pexels.com/photo/fountains-abbey-ripon-north-yorkshire-england-10413532/ ] #Architecture
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Monuments and Architecture
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