| Rievaulx Abbey, founded in 1132, was the first Cistercian
abbey in the north of England. The abbey's greatest importance came during the rule of its
third abbot, St Aelred (1147-67), when many of its surviving buildings were begun. Under
Aelred, the community grew to 140 choir monks and perhaps 500 lay-brothers and lay
servants. When the abbey was suppressed in 1538, there were only 22 monks in residence,
though they were supported by no fewer than 102 paid servants.
Tanning Troughs
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The church nave and transepts survive from
Aelred's church and originally contained the choirs of the monks and lay brothers. the
presbytery was rebuilt in the early thirteenth century, perhaps to house the abbot's
shrine.
The Church within the Abbey
Pictured on the left are the tanning troughs within the tannery. In the
distance the church is visible and in the space between the church and the tannery is the
monks' dormitory and the chapter house. |
