GB-565525 Fountains Abbey (ruins)

Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located near the village of Aldfield in North Yorkshire.

The Abbey is reflected in the waters of the River Skell

The Abbey was founded in 1132.  The story begins with signs of unrest at St Mary's Abbey in York. 13 reform-minded monks fled York under the protection of Archbishop Thurstan and were granted the land at Fountains to start a new abbey. The community suffered severe hardships in its early years but the monks were highly organised and lived their lives according to strict rules. The abbey grew in size, wealth and power throughout the 1200s. However, Fountains Abbey experienced financial problems in the 1290s and, like all of the northern houses, fell victim to the Scots in the early fourteenth century. The abbey recovered its fortunes in the fifteenth century and operated for over 400 years, until 1539, when Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

In 1986 the parkland in which the abbey is situated and the abbey was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was recognised for fulfilling the criteria of being a “masterpiece of human creative genius, and an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history.”

This postcard came from Grzesiek (24 July 2014) Postcrossing.