Fountains Abbey: In plain sight

The Fountains Abbey is located in a place called Aldfield. This place is about two miles away from the southwest of ripon which is in the north of Yorkshire in England.   In fact, fountains abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in all of England. This is a building which has a grade one listing and it is owned by  the national trust.  There is a royal water garden which is just adjacent to this place. Also it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Fountains Abbey was founded in the year eleven hundred and thirty two.  This was after following a dispute and a huge riot that took place at the saint Mary’s abbey in New York. Also there are about thirteen monks who were then exiled and then they ere unsuccessful at attempting to come back to the rule of saint benedict.  They were provided with a site in the valley of the river skell.   There is an enclosed valley which has materials for the creation of a monastery, and this provides these people with all the resources they require to do whatever they need to do.  Protection from the weather, stone and timber for building and a running supply of water are al that was provided.

The Fountains Abbey operated for about four hundred years until fifteen hundred and thirty nine.  This is probably when the dissolutions of the monasteries was ordered by Henry the eighth. The building is about five hundred acres, later on this was sold to the crown. The construction of the abbey began in the year eleven hundred and thirty two.  The rocks were quarried locally. The original monastery buildings receive super additions and alternations I he later period of the same order.  This would cause a lot of devastation from the Cistercian type. There is a cloister which lies to the south and there is a three aisled chapter house and something that looks like a calefactory opening which opens up from the west side of the structure. The church also stands a short distance away from which seems to be the northern part of the structures skell.