Fountains Abbey
Monasticism flourished in the North of England from around the 7th Century. It survived the Danish invasions of the 9th and 10th centuries and revived quickly following the Norman Conquest of 1066. William I settled his followers on the lands that were forfeited to him and this new Norman nobility proved to be enthusiastic patrons of the various religious Orders which were in existence.
Whitby was amongst the Benedictine abbeys which were restored at this time and its monks founded the house of St. Mary's in York 1088-89.
It was a dispute at St Mary's which led to the founding of Fountains Abbey. Some of the monks at St Mary's had become dismayed that many of the requirements of the Rule of St. Benedict had mellowed over the centuries and yearned for a return to the old, much stricter regime than that now practised in St. Mary's. They were particularly influenced by the very disciplined attitude of monks from the young Cistercian Order who passed through York in the spring of 1132. (These monks had been on their way to found Rievaulx Abbey as a daughter house of St. Bernard's Cistercian abbey of Clairvaux in France).
Whitby was amongst the Benedictine abbeys which were restored at this time and its monks founded the house of St. Mary's in York 1088-89.
In the summer of the same year the reformers, led by Prior Richard, presented proposals for reform to the elderly abbot of St. Mary's. As the tension increased, the Archbishop of York, Thurstan, intervened and took the 13 dissident monks into his protection.
The monks spent Christmas at the Archbishop's palace in Ripon and on 27th December they made their way three miles up the valley of the River Skell to settle on lands given to them by Thurstan.
Prior Richard was elected as first Abbot of "St. Mary's of Fountains". It's not clear where the name originates. There is certainly an abundance of water from the River Skell and the springs on the steep banks above but it has also been suggested that the Abbey took its name from St Bernard de Fontaines, commonly known as Bernard of Clairvaux. Why was it called St. Mary's? ... Because all Cistercian abbeys were dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Unfortunately it proved harder for the monks to survive than they had thought and within a year they were forced to turn to Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercian Order for help. To become subservient to this French Order who were directly under the control of the Pope, and thus lose their independence, was, to some extent, a betrayal of their ideals but in reality they had little choice if they wanted to survive. The Abbey was admitted into the Cistercian Order in 1135.
They did get one thing though...the rigorous life they had sought!
The monks wore a habit of coarse undyed sheep's wool and were forbidden to wear underwear. They could wear breaches if they went on a journey but upon their return these would be washed and put back into the common stock. They wore woollen or cloth stockings and leather boots. The Order was committed to long periods of silence and the monks therefore communicated with each other largely by means of gesture. The diet was barely above subsistence level.
The life of austerity was also reflected in the Abbey's architecture and its internal fittings. There was a total rejection of extravagant decoration which the monks believed mocked the beauty of God's creation. They also thought it would distract from their own personal devotions. On the altar of a Cistercian church only a cross of painted wood and a candlestick of iron were permitted.
The perpendicular tower built at the end of the north transcept is actually alien to the early cistercian beliefs. It is actually the work of the very last Abbot of the Abbey, Abbot Marmaduke Huby and was built in the reign of Henry VIII very shortly before Henry dissolved the monasteries believing them to be a threat to his kingdom.
The monks showed themselves to be very resouceful. The River Skell which you can see in the foreground of this photograph actually flowed straight on directly through the spot where the main Abbey buildings are now. The monks, however, diverted it to its present course by building the wall you can see and landscaping the area between the river and the buildings.
The building in the photo is actually the east guest house. It was used as a sort of "bed-and-breakfast" accommodation for non-religious visitors to the Abbey. This particular building is believed to be the oldest non-religious house in Britain.
This is another view of the East Guest House.
The circular window was blocked in the 14th Century for the insertion of a flue.
The west front of the Abbey church was built around 1160 from sandstone which was hewn out of the rock which comes to the surface on the north side of the valley beside the monastery.
The great west window which dominates this particular facade was not actually inserted until 1494 when Abbot John Darnton replaced the original rose window and the three round-headed openings underneath.
In the Middle Ages the nave itself would have looked very different as it was split up by altars, chapels and screens. It was, in fact, two churches, accomodating the "choir" monks at the east end and the lay brothers at the west.
Perhaps the most impressive piece of architecture in the whole abbey is to be found in one of its most inconspicuous spots...the store room or cellarium. This room is part of the cellarer's parlour of the west range.
With a length of 300ft, the range runs from the church at one end over the river at the other. The northern end of the range linked the abbey with the outside world and was divided into cells. Beside the church, an outer parlour opened onto the great court. Here conversation was permitted in the interests of monastic business. Then came the cellarium (two storage areas) nd the parlour for the cellarer, the monk in charge of domestic administration, with an entry into the cloister. The rest of the range was occupied by the lay brothers' refectory.
I hope you've enjoyed my photographs. The Abbey is well worth a visit if you are ever in the area. Make sure you take advantage of one of the regular free guided tours as this will make your visit much more interesting and informative.