When you visit the abbey at Tintern your experience is more divine than secular. When I last visited the site, a Cadw agent (the Cadw is the Welsh government’s historic preservation service), told me that nearly every day he sees men and women alike, walk to the edge of the abbey grounds, stand for a few minutes staring at the ruins and then look to the sky with tears rolling down their faces.
Tintern Abbey, one of the most celebrated monastic ruins in Britain, has inspired poets, artists, and historians for more than four centuries. Nestled on the banks of the River Wye in Wales, it is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Its history is that of religious turmoil, political intrigue, and the cultural disturbances that have shaped Wales and England from the medieval period through the Reformation.
as it may have appeared before the dissolution of the monasteries
by Alan Sorrell
Founded in 1131 by Walter Fitz Richard, a Norman lord, Tintern Abbey was established as a Cistercian monastery. The Cistercian order, known for its emphasis on austerity and self-sufficiency was founded in 1098 in Burgundy, France. The order’s arrival in Britain, including Tintern, marked a wave of monastic expansion that influenced religious life and land cultivation across the country. The abbey quickly grew in wealth and influence, benefitting from grants of land and donations from noble families, which enabled the construction of its impressive structures.
The church ruins continue to epitomize the Cistercian style, characterized by simplicity and functionality. Its church, cloisters, chapter house, and monks’ cells reflect their focus on spiritual discipline. By the thirteenth century, Tintern Abbey had become a prominent religious center, with a thriving community of monks engaged in prayer and agriculture. The abbey also played an important role in the economy.
However, their fortunes declined severely in the sixteenth century during the turbulent period of the English Reformation. Under King Henry VIII’s rule, the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1541) led to the systematic closure and dismantling of monastic institutions across England, Scotland, and Wales. Tintern Abbey was surrendered to the crown in 1536, and its valuable lands and possessions were sold off. Sadly, the buildings were stripped and much of the stone was repurposed for other constructions. Despite this destruction, the ruins of Tintern Abbey remained remarkably well-preserved.
In the centuries that followed, Tintern Abbey captured the imagination of writers and artists. The romantic movement in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries rekindled interest in medieval ruins, and William Wordsworth famously celebrated Tintern Abbey in his poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey,” written in 1798. He reflected on the tranquil beauty of the site and its spiritual significance, helping to cement its place in cultural history.
Today, Tintern Abbey is open to visitors who come by the thousands each year to admire its haunting ruins. There are those who come for artistic inspiration and others who come to validate their historic knowledge, but without regard to preconceptions, everyone leaves feeling better about visiting Heaven’s front yard.
I remember reading Wordsworth’s poem about Tintern Abbey in a college English class.
Wow, this is fascinating. I would love to be able to visit this place, but sadly, I probably never will due to age and health.