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List of Cistercian abbeys in Britain facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A Cistercian abbey is a special kind of monastery where monks or nuns live according to the rules of the Cistercian order. These places are also called abbeys. The first Cistercian abbey in Great Britain was Waverley Abbey in Surrey, England. It was started in 1128. After that, many more abbeys were built across Britain, especially in Yorkshire, Scotland, and Wales.

Active Cistercian Abbeys Today

Even today, some Cistercian abbeys are still active. This means monks or nuns live there and follow the Cistercian way of life. They are often called Trappists, which is a branch of the Cistercian order.

Here are a few active abbeys:

Abbeys That Are No Longer Active

Many Cistercian abbeys in Great Britain are no longer active. They are now either ruins, completely destroyed, or have been changed into other buildings. Most of these abbeys were closed down during a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500s. This was when King Henry VIII closed many monasteries in England, Wales, and Ireland.

These abbeys were usually started by a "motherhouse," which was an older, established abbey. Here are some examples of abbeys that are now dissolved or ruined:

And many more abbeys across Great Britain met a similar fate, leaving behind historical sites that tell stories of a different time.

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