The River

Click here for larger image

All Cistercian abbeys were built near running water.

At first this was for reasons of health and hygiene, but later, as abbeys became centres of industry, the river provided power for watermills.

The abbey changed enormously over 400 years, but the original Rule of St. Benedict was still in force. What would the monks who began the abbey in 1132 have thought of those who finally left it in 1539?

Previous Stop | Map | Tours Menu | Index Page