Rievaulx Abbey – the first ever Abbey to be built in North England
The Rievaulx Abbey is located near Helmsley in North Yorkshire England. It was built back in 1132 by twelve monks for the purpose of the colonization of North England and Scotland.
Rievaulx was the first ever Abbey to be built in North England at the time and was the wealthiest one of the time period.
In 1538 Henry VIII dissolved the Abbey and left it in ruins, those ruins are now a major tourist attraction for the area.
The Abbey was created in the remote location that it was in for a reason; the monks built it here because they felt that the location would allow them to live a strict life of prayer with very little contact with the outside world.
The Abbey lies in a flat wooden area which is sheltered by the hillside, and is a part of North York Moors National Park.
At the time the abbey was built there was not enough flat land in order to build upon, so the founders had to divert a small part of the river several meters west of where its current channel was located.
Rievaulx Abbey, England
The monks not only had to divert the river to build the abbey, but had to divert it three more times throughout the time period in order to keep it out. The original path of the river can still be seen.
The monks show Europe the integrity of their technological and business skills. They built up a very profitable business by mining lead and iron, as well as selling wool to buyers all over Europe.
They were able to turn this Abbey into one of the wealthiest abbeys ever in existence and became one of the wealthiest establishments in all of England.
They were able to develop a network that allowed over 140 other monks and lay brothers to receive grants of land that were in excess of over 5,000 acres and were able to create what are known as “Daughter Houses” in both England and Scotland.
Rievaulx Abbey, England
The lifestyle that was president in these time was mostly abandon by the 15th century as many people began to live a more “Comfortable” lifestyle.
You can get to the Abbey by car, the parking fee £4.00 is refunded once you buy a ticket to the site or visit café. The basic adult admission is £6.20.
You can also access it for free if you are member of English Heritage which allow you to access over 400 historical places in all of Enland.
