Location: Rievaulx, North Yorkshire Map
Tel. 01439 798228
Active: 1132- 1538 (closed by Henry VIII)
Open:
Apr-Sep: daily 10am-6pm
Oct: Thu-Mon 10am-5pm
Nov-Mar:
Thu-Mon 10am-4pm
Closed: 24- 26 Dec, 1 Jan
Cost: £5.30 adults, £2.70
children
Rievaulx Abbey is a medieval Roman Catholic monastery of the Cistercian order situated in Rievaulx, North Yorkshire in United Kingdom. Rievaulx Abbey was found in 1132 by 12 monks who were blessed by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux to leave their home in Clairvaux in France to move to the island. New abbey of the White Monks served as their base for missionary work in the North England as well as Scotland regions. Help from benefactors such as Henry II (1135-1154) and King David of Scotland (1124-1153) further increased wealth and influence of the Rievaulx Abbey. At some point it numbered over 150 monks and over 500 lay brethren. A big influence on the prestige and fame of the monastery came when its third abbot Aelred took charge of the community. Famous author and an inspiration preached he attracted many people to the abbey and after his death was canonized by the church.
The abbey ruins lie in a wooded valley near the River Rye near Helmsley in North Yorkshire. Today the area is part of the North York Moors National Park.
Foundation (1132)
The abbey was established in March 1132,
marking it as the first Cistercian monastery in northern England. It
was founded by a group of 12 monks from Clairvaux Abbey in France,
led by Abbot William, on land donated by Walter Espec, the lord of
nearby Helmsley and a royal justiciar who supported ecclesiastical
reforms. Espec, along with Thurstan, Archbishop of York, aimed to
promote the Cistercian ideals of simplicity and isolation, drawing
from the order's origins at Cîteaux in 1098. The site's remote,
wooded location—sheltered by hills—was ideal for a life of prayer
and self-sufficiency, with minimal external contact. Initial
structures were temporary wooden buildings, but stone construction
began in the late 1130s around a central cloister. The monks even
diverted the River Rye multiple times during the 12th century to
create flat building land, with traces of the old river course still
visible today.
Growth and Peak Period (12th–13th Centuries)
Under Abbot William, the abbey quickly expanded, dispatching monks
to establish daughter houses such as Warden and Melrose in 1136,
Dundrennan in 1142, and Revesby in 1143, effectively colonizing
northern England and Scotland. By the 1160s, the community had grown
to around 650 members, including 140 choir monks and 500 lay
brothers who handled manual labor.
The abbey's zenith came under
Saint Aelred, elected abbot in 1147. Aelred, previously a steward in
the household of David I of Scotland, was a prolific writer,
biblical scholar, and Latin stylist whose works on spirituality
influenced medieval thought. During his tenure until 1167, the
population doubled, and major architectural projects were
undertaken, including a monumental church started in the late
1140s—one of Europe's earliest great mid-12th-century Cistercian
churches—and a unique chapter house design. Aelred also oversaw the
reconstruction of the east range for choir monks, his personal
lodging, a large infirmary hall, and a novitiate around a second
cloister. By the end of his leadership, Rievaulx had five daughter
houses and had become one of Britain's most powerful and spiritually
renowned monastic centers.
Successor abbots like Silvanus
(post-1167) continued expansions, rebuilding the south range and
completing cloister arcades in the 1170s, while extending the church
in the 1220s to house Aelred's shrine. However, financial strains
emerged by the 1220s–1230s, leading to Abbot Roger II's resignation
in 1239 amid incomplete transept remodeling.
Architectural
Developments
Rievaulx's architecture evolved in phases,
reflecting Cistercian ideals while adapting to growth. The early
12th-century layout featured a cloister with ranges for monks and
lay brothers; surviving elements include the northern west range and
south range fragments. The church, begun under Aelred, included a
presbytery in the Early English style, while the 13th-century
refectory spanned a valley slope with an undercroft. By the late
Middle Ages, adaptations included partitioning the lay brothers'
dormitory into private closets, filling nave aisles with chapels,
and demolishing the lay refectory. At its dissolution, the site
encompassed 72 buildings.
Economic Activities and Daily Life
Economically, Rievaulx prospered through agriculture, sheep rearing,
wool trade to Europe, and mining lead and iron ore, amassing 6,000
acres of land. It operated a water-powered forge for iron tools and,
remarkably, a prototype blast furnace at Laskill, one of the
earliest in England. Daily life adhered to strict Cistercian rules:
choir monks focused on prayer and study, while lay brothers managed
labor until their decline in the 14th century, after which hired
workers were employed. By the 15th century, practices relaxed,
allowing meat consumption and private accommodations in the former
infirmary.
Decline and Challenges (14th–16th Centuries)
Decline set in during the late 13th century with sheep scab
epidemics reducing revenue, followed by Scottish raids in the early
14th century. The Black Death in the mid-14th century decimated the
population, leaving only 14 choir monks, three lay brothers, and the
abbot by 1381. This led to land leasing and building reductions.
Internal conflicts arose, such as the ejection of Abbot Edward
Cowper in 1533 due to leadership disputes. By 1538, only 23 monks
remained, with an annual income of £351.
Dissolution (1538)
As part of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1540),
Rievaulx was suppressed on December 3, 1538. The site was sold to
Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, who dismantled buildings,
stripping valuables like roof lead and bells for the Crown. The
process was documented by steward Ralf Bawde, rendering the
structures uninhabitable.
Post-Dissolution History
Post-dissolution, the site shifted to industry: by 1545, four iron
furnaces operated, using the refectory undercroft for charcoal
storage. A blast furnace was added in 1577, and a new forge in
1600–1612, but operations ceased in the 1640s due to timber
shortages. In 1687, the estate was sold to Sir Charles Duncombe, who
developed Duncombe Park. By the 1750s, a terraced walk with Grecian
temples overlooked the ruins, now managed by the National Trust.
From the 1770s, the site drew Romantic artists and writers. In the
mid-19th century, its architectural value was recognized, leading to
guardianship by the Office of Works in 1917. Repairs in the 1920s
used reinforced concrete, and World War I veterans cleared debris,
exposing buried features. In 1923, salvaged lead was donated to
restore York Minster's Five Sisters window.
Current Status
Today, Rievaulx is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and tourist
attraction under English Heritage, with public access to substantial
ruins. Archaeological surveys in 2015 and 2018, including aerial
photography, have enhanced understanding of the landscape, with
findings published in 2019. The site's cultural legacy endures,
notably in the title Baron Wilson of Rievaulx adopted by former
Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1983.
Rievaulx Abbey, located in a secluded wooded valley along the River
Rye in North Yorkshire, England, was founded in 1132 as the first
Cistercian monastery in northern England. The site's natural
topography, sheltered by surrounding hills, influenced its
architecture significantly. To create sufficient flat land for
construction, the monks diverted the river's course multiple times
during the 12th century, demonstrating early engineering ingenuity.
At its peak, the abbey housed around 140 choir monks and 500 lay
brothers, making it one of the wealthiest Cistercian houses in
England, with extensive lands supporting agriculture, sheep farming,
and mining. The architecture reflects Cistercian ideals of austerity
and self-sufficiency, evolving from simple Romanesque forms to more
elaborate Early Gothic elements over time. Today, it stands as one
of the most impressive monastic ruins in Britain, preserved under
English Heritage since 1917.
Overall Layout and Site Planning
The abbey's layout followed the standard Cistercian plan, centered
around a cloister that served as the heart of monastic life. The
cloister was a square courtyard with covered walkways (arcades) on
all sides, providing access to key buildings. To the north lay the
abbey church, the largest and most prominent structure. The east
range housed facilities for the choir monks, including the chapter
house, sacristy, and dormitory. The south range contained the
refectory (dining hall) and warming house, while the west range was
originally dedicated to lay brothers, with their own refectory and
dormitory. An additional infirmary cloister was built to the east,
including an infirmary hall and novitiate.
The precinct extended
beyond the core buildings, encompassing water-management features
like canals and mill races for powering forges and mills, as well as
agricultural enclosures. By the time of its dissolution in 1538, the
abbey complex included 72 buildings, though many were reduced or
repurposed due to declining populations after events like the Black
Death in the 14th century. Archaeological surveys in 2015 and 2018
have revealed the broader landscape, including outer precinct walls
and ancillary structures for ironworking.
The Abbey Church:
Core of the Architectural Splendor
The church, begun in the late
1140s under Abbot Aelred (1147–1167), is the abbey's architectural
highlight and one of the earliest major Cistercian churches in
Europe. It measures approximately 350 feet in length, with a
cruciform (cross-shaped) plan typical of medieval ecclesiastical
architecture. The nave, originally divided into sections for choir
monks and lay brothers, features a series of pointed arches
supported by clustered columns, transitioning from Romanesque
rounded arches in the earlier western sections to Early Gothic
pointed ones in the east.
The presbytery, rebuilt in the 1220s,
exemplifies Early English Gothic style with its soaring three-storey
elevation, lancet windows, and ribbed vaulting (though now
roofless). This extension added seven bays, housing chapels and a
shrine to St. Aelred, and stands as one of the finest examples of
Early Gothic in northern England. The transepts were partially
remodeled during this phase, with upper levels and eastern chapels
rebuilt, but financial constraints halted a full renovation. The
church's interior would have been plain, adhering to Cistercian
prohibitions on ornate decoration, though subtle moldings and
capitals add elegance.
In the later Middle Ages, as lay brothers
dwindled, the nave's aisles were infilled with chapels, and the
central space was used for processions. Post-dissolution dismantling
removed roofs, lead, and bells, leaving the dramatic skeletal ruins
visible today.
The east end, with its towering window frames,
offers a sense of the original height—over 40 feet in
places—emphasizing verticality to draw the eye heavenward, a
hallmark of Gothic design.
Cloisters and Associated Ranges
The main cloister, rebuilt on a
grand scale during Aelred's tenure, featured a central open
courtyard surrounded by arcades with simple columns and arches. The
east range was expanded to accommodate the growing monastic
community, including a revolutionary chapter house design. This
polygonal chapter house, unique among Cistercian sites, included an
ambulatory aisle allowing lay brothers to attend sermons without
entering the monks' inner space. It was used for daily readings from
the Rule of St. Benedict and community meetings.
The south
range's refectory, constructed in the 1170s, was elevated over a
massive undercroft to level the sloping valley site. This two-storey
structure, with its high vaulted ceiling and rows of windows, could
seat hundreds and included a pulpit for readings during meals. The
undercroft later served as storage for charcoal in the post-monastic
ironworks era. The west range, for lay brothers, included a large
refectory (later demolished) and dormitory, which was halved and
partitioned in the 14th century as their numbers declined.
An
eastern infirmary cloister provided separate facilities for the ill,
with a hall, kitchen, and abbot's lodging—reflecting adaptations for
comfort in later periods.
Architectural Styles and Evolution
Rievaulx's architecture evolved from the austere Romanesque of its
founding phase (late 1130s) to the lighter, more expressive Early
Gothic by the mid-12th century. Initial buildings under Abbot
William used simple, unadorned stonework with rounded arches and
thick walls, embodying Cistercian simplicity. Under Aelred,
influences from Burgundian Cistercian models introduced pointed
arches and taller elevations, blending functionality with emerging
Gothic trends for increased light and height.
By the 1220s, the
presbytery's rebuild marked a peak in sophistication, with clustered
piers, molded arches, and a shrine integration that anticipated
later Gothic developments. Later modifications in the 14th–15th
centuries reflected declining austerity: private cells for monks,
meat allowances, and hired labor replacing lay brothers, leading to
structural reductions like truncating the west range. This shift
mirrored broader changes in Cistercian life toward comfort.
Materials and Construction Techniques
The abbey was primarily
built from local sandstone, quarried nearby, which provided
durability but also contributed to the warm, honey-toned appearance
of the ruins. Stone was laid in ashlar blocks for key facades, with
rubble cores for walls. Construction involved advanced techniques
for the era, such as river diversion for site preparation and the
use of water power for mills. The site's slope necessitated
undercrofts and terracing, as seen in the refectory. Lead roofing
and iron fittings (from on-site forges) were common, though stripped
after the 1538 suppression. A prototype blast furnace at nearby
Laskill, operational by the 15th century, highlights the abbey's
industrial integration with architecture.
Notable Features
and Historical Modifications
Key features include the chapter
house's innovative aisle, the presbytery's shrine (now lost), and
the extensive water systems. Post-1538, the site was repurposed for
ironworking, with forges and furnaces added, altering some
structures like the refectory undercroft. In the 1750s, Thomas
Duncombe III created Rievaulx Terrace overlooking the ruins, with
neoclassical temples, blending romantic landscape design with the
medieval remnants. Preservation in the 20th century involved
reinforced concrete beams by Sir Frank Baines to stabilize walls,
and debris clearance revealed buried features without major
excavations.
Current State as Ruins
As ruins, Rievaulx
offers a poignant glimpse into medieval monastic architecture. The
church's nave arcades and presbytery walls dominate, with grass
floors evoking the open sky that replaced vaulted roofs. English
Heritage maintains the site, with a museum displaying artifacts like
carved stones and ironwork. The abbey's significance lies in its
scale, stylistic evolution, and role in Cistercian history, making
it a UNESCO World Heritage candidate as part of Yorkshire's monastic
ensemble.