Tintern Abbey was the 1st Cistercian monastery in Wales, founded 1131 by Walter fitzRichard of Clare. Colonised by a group of monks from the mother house at l’Aumone, the construction of the great Gothic church began 1269. It was consecrated in 1301. #FaithBuildingsFriday 1/6

Through the C14th and C15th, the fortunes of the abbey struggled due to the Black Death and the Glyndwr uprising. The abbey was surrendered following the First Suppression Act in 1536 in which Henry VIII demanded the dissolution of the monasteries 2/6

The buildings were stripped of valuable roof lead and subsequently decay set in. Over the next two hundred years, the site was inhabited by the cottages and workshops of impoverished locals and workers from the nearby wire works. 3/6

By the late C18, ‘Romantic Tourism’ of the medieval sites of Wales was fashionable. The Duke of Beaufort, then owner of Tintern, cleared the grounds to make them more accessible to tourists, but left the thick vines and ivy cover of the church untouched. 4/6

Romantic poetry and landscape painting highlighted Tintern Abbey as the perfect example of a medieval ruin situated in a picturesque landscape. Tourists flocked from France and Germany to experience the atmosphere of the site. 5/6

In 1901, the Crown bought the ruins as they had become regarded as a monument of national importance and, in turn, Ministry of Works took ownership in 1967. Tintern Abbey is now a Grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument under the care of Cadw. 6/6