Rievaulx⁩ Abbey

The image of the life Cistercian monk is one of austerity, hard manual work and self-sufficiency, and one of the first Cistercian monasteries to be founded in the North of England was in the valley of the River Rye at Rievaulx⁩, in 1132. Seen here from the National Trust’s Rievaulx⁩ Terrace property, it grew to be one of England’s wealthiest with income from sheep farming, agriculture and mining of lead and iron. One hundred and forty monks lived here supported by a small army of laymen. Of course, Rievaulx did not survive the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538.
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