Door/15 – Tintern Abbey

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Tintern Abbey is in the beautiful Wye Valley in Wales, the River Wye forming part of the border between Wales and England. Founded in 1131, it fell into ruin after the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.   That was the process by which Henry VIII disbanded the Catholic monasteries and convents and effectively put an end to monastic life in England, Wales and Ireland. 

What we see today is a mixture of building works covering a 400-year period between 1136 and 1536.

An artist’s impression of the new Gothic abbey church at Tintern under construction around the earlier one. Begun in 1269 it was partially occupied by 1288 but the early church had to be demolished before the new building could be completed, perhaps around 1300.

The scale and grandeur of the refectory in the later 13th century is captured in this artist’s impression.  The form of the roof is conjectural. 

 

 

Norm’s Thursday’s doors