Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire is the best preserved Cistercian monastery in the county. It was founded in 1132 when 12 monks came from Clairvaux in Burgundy. It soon grew to become one of the most spiritual abbeys in the country. By 1170 it was home to 650 men whose normal day consisted of labouring (which could include gardening, fielding and joinery), reading and copying manuscripts and 8 religious services. Lay brothers took on more of the manual work than the monks often working the outlying farms. 

Rievaulx was well known across Europe and had a good reputation in Rome. It continued to thrive until the dissolution by Henry VIII. The site to this day is massive, stunning and has inspired artists through the ages. You can easily see the appeal while exploring the galilee porch, kitchen, infirmary, and other areas that are still relatively well preserved today. My favourite is the chapter house which has an unusual design at Rievaulx as it has a rounded east end. The chapter house is where important guests were received, lay brothers took their vows, and monks confessed their sins and received their punishments. Depending on the nature of the fault this could mean less food and drink, flogging or imprisonment. It was also the place where the monks held their administrative meetings to organise the running of the abbey. The Chapter House originally had three entrances leading from the Cloister but one was later filled with a shrine. This dated from about 1250 and was to commemorate the first abbot William who died in 1145. There were two shelves in the shrine, the top one would have held William’s casket, and the bottom one was for pilgrims to crawl in to be closer to the saint. 

The remains of the abbey that can be seen today are just a small part of the area the monks held. Around the abbey would have been a walled precinct of approx. 92 acres which was divided into areas for livestock, agricultural buildings and orchards etc. Basically a self-contained existence. Some of the boundary wall can still be seen in places.

Set in a stunning landscape, the abbey is well worth a visit where you can get lost amongst the vast ruins and imagine what life was like in medieval times when Rievaulx was a flourishing community.

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