Rievaulx Abbey
Everywhere peace, everywhere serenity, and a
marvellous freedom from the tumult of the world.
- St Aelred, Third Abbot of Rievaulx
(courtesy of English Heritage)
These words, written over eight hundred years ago, ring true even today. Nestled in the valley of the River Rye, Rievaulx Abbey, one of the wealthiest monasteries of medieval England and the first northern Cistercian monastery, retains an air of calm and serenity.
Rievaulx was founded in 1132 by St Bernard of Clairvaux together with twelve monks, as part of the missionary effort to reform Christianity in western Europe. By the time Aelred became Abbot, Rievaulx had attracted a number of monks who together with their spiritual duties engaged themselves in various commercial activities, from the agrarian (rearing of sheep) to the industrial (leather tanning, glass production and iron smelting). When Henry VIII dissolved the abbey in 1538 it was a vibrant and wealthy community. However, its new owner, Thomas Manners, first Earl of Rutland, ordered the systematic destruction of the buildings. Despite his efforts, today most of the presbytery (the eastern part of the abbey church), built during the 13th century, stands virtually to its full height (see photo at left).
For those of you who have forgotten your English history, as we had, it is important to understand that in the 16th century monasteries owned well over a quarter of all the cultivated land in England, which engendered not a little criticism from farmers and other jealous folk. In August 1535 Thomas Cromwell sent out a team of officials to investigate the monasteries. Their findings caused Henry VIII to close down 376 monasteries. On 17 December 1538 Henry was excommunicated from the Catholic church and, with nothing to lose, he closed down the rest of the monasteries and nunneries in England, Wales and Ireland. All told Henry VIII closed down over 850 monastic houses between 1536 and 1540. Most of the land was sold off cheaply to nobles and merchants, such as the Manners family, mentioned above, or to Cholmley family, in the case of Whitby Abbey. In turn some of the lands were sold to smaller farmers. A sad bit of British lore.
Date of Our Last Visit: July 2002