Valle Crucis Abbey Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Valle Crucis Abbey

Religion
Affiliation	Catholicism, Cistercians
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Ruins. Abbey dissolved 1537.
Year consecrated	pre 1236
Location
Location	Llantysilio, Denbighshire, Wales
Architecture
Architectural type	Monastery
Architectural style	Cistercian
Groundbreaking	1201

Valle Crucis Abbey (which means "Valley of the Cross") is an old Cistercian abbey. It is found in Llantysilio in Denbighshire, north Wales. In Welsh, it is known as Abaty Glyn Egwestl or Abaty Glyn y Groes.

The abbey was built in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, who was a prince of Powys Fadog. Valle Crucis Abbey was closed down in 1537 during a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. After this, it slowly fell apart. Today, the building is a ruin, but many parts of the original structure are still standing. Cadw, a Welsh government body, now looks after Valle Crucis Abbey. In 2018, about 5,690 people visited the abbey.

History of Valle Crucis Abbey
Architectural Layout of the Abbey
- Main Buildings and Features
- Surviving Structures
Gallery
See also

History of Valle Crucis Abbey

Valle Crucis Abbey was started in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor. It was the last Cistercian monastery built in Wales. The abbey was in the area of Powys Fadog, in a place called Iâl (Yale). Valle Crucis was the main religious center for the region. Nearby, Dinas Bran was the important political fort.

How the Abbey Got Its Name

The abbey got its name from a stone monument nearby called the Pillar of Eliseg. This pillar was put up four centuries earlier. It was built by Cyngen ap Cadell, who was King of Powys. He made it to remember his great-grandfather, Elisedd ap Gwylog.

Early Years and Challenges

When Madog died in 1236, he was buried in the abbey. Not long after, a big fire likely damaged the abbey. Evidence shows the church and south side were affected.

1875 drawing of the abbey by Alfred Rimmer

The chapterhouse in the east range; compare to the drawing by Rimmer over a century earlier

Valle Crucis started as a small group of twelve monks. They came from Strata Marcella, an older abbey near Welshpool. At first, they built a temporary wooden structure. Later, they used stone to build the abbey. The finished abbey probably had about sixty people living there. This included 20 choir monks and 40 lay-members. The lay-members did daily jobs, like farming.

The number of monks changed over time. The abbey also faced threats from wars and other events. It is thought that the abbey was involved in the Welsh Wars of Edward I of England in the 1200s. It was also supposedly damaged during the uprising led by Owain Glyndŵr. The number of monks also dropped after the Black Death spread across Britain.

Later Years and Dissolution

Things got better for Valle Crucis in the 1400s. The abbey became known as a welcoming place. Several important Welsh poets stayed there. These included Gutun Owain, Tudur Aled, and Guto'r Glyn. Guto'r Glyn spent his last years at the abbey. He was buried there in 1493.

In 1537, Valle Crucis Abbey was closed down. This happened because it was not as rich as other English abbeys. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site became a ruin. King Henry VIII gave the building to Sir William Puckering for 21 years. The lease was renewed by Henry's son, Edward VI, in 1551.

After Sir William died in 1574, his daughter Hestor got the property. In 1575, Hestor married Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton. Queen Elizabeth I extended the lease to Baron Wotton in 1583. By the late 1500s, the eastern part of the abbey was turned into a manor house.

The Wotton family owned Valle Crucis for a while. It then passed to Hestor Wotton, the third daughter of the 2nd Baron Wotton. Hestor married Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden. The abbey became part of their family's property. However, it was sold soon after in 1651. By the late 1700s, the remaining buildings were re-roofed. The site was used as a farm. Later, in the 1800s, people started digging to find out more about the abbey. Today, Cadw cares for the site. It is open for visitors and is surrounded by a caravan park.

Architectural Layout of the Abbey

Engraving taken from Hone's Table-book, showing Pillar of Eliseg with the west front wall of Crucis Abbey in the background

Valle Crucis Abbey had a church and several other buildings. These buildings formed a square courtyard. The church itself ran from west to east. This was a common style for churches, shaped like a cross. Today, much of the church is ruined. However, the front wall on the west side is still there. This includes the stone work of the rose window. Much of the east end also survives. In the 1300s, a screen called a pulpitum divided the church. Lay brothers prayed in front of it, and choir monks prayed at the main altar.

Main Buildings and Features

The abbey also had other buildings. The east range is mostly still standing. The west range, which had the lay brothers' dining hall (called a frater), is now gone. The south frater and kitchen faced the church. These two buildings are also now ruins, with only their foundations left.

The east and west ranges had the cloisters, which were covered walkways. The east range also led to the abbot's lodgings. These were the living quarters for the abbot, located between the range and the church but outside the main courtyard. The abbey also has the only remaining monastic fishpond in Wales. However, it was changed into a reflecting pool in the 1700s.

Surviving Structures

Besides the west end front wall, many parts of the east end of the abbey are still here. The walls of the chancel, the southern part of the transept, and the east range of the cloister are mostly intact. This includes the chapter house and sacristy. The lower part of the reredorter (a latrine block) also survives. In 1870, George Gilbert Scott restored the west end wall. It is unusual for a ruined monastery, but you can still access parts of the first floor. This includes the dormitory and the abbot's rooms.

Many items from the abbey have been moved to a local museum. The font from the church was placed in the gardens of Plas Newydd, Llangollen. This was done by the Ladies of Llangollen in the late 1700s.