Rievaulx Abbey was the first Cistercian monastery in the north of England. Founded in 1132 by twelve monks from Clairvaux Abbey, it was situated in a remote location well suited to the order's ideal of a strict life of prayer and self-sufficiency with little contact with the outside world.
Under the second abbot, Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, the buildings were expanded and the existence of what in time became one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire was consolidated. Fountains Abbey was the second only Cistercian house to be built in Yorkshire.
During Aelred's tenure, the abbey grew to some 140 monks and 500 lay brothers. Over time, the monks built up a profitable business mining lead and iron ore, rearing sheep and selling wool to buyers from all over Europe, making Rievaulx one of the greatest and wealthiest abbeys in England.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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