The Cistercians (White Monks) were the most successful monastic experiment to emerge from the tumultuous intellectual and religious fervour of the 11th and 12th centuries. This book seeks to explore the phenomenon that was the Cistercian Order.

Concise histories of the religious houses of post-Conquest Wales with a full introduction to the history of medieval monasticism in Wales, written by two established monastic historians Up-to-date assessment of the standing remains of Wales’s medieval abbeys and priories Practical user-friendly visitor guide to the religious houses of medieval Wales Visually attractive format, highly illustrated with colour and b/w photographs, drawings, maps and ground plans Extensive bibliography and suggestions for further reading

"A Fordham University Press book." "Select bibliography": p. 131-137.

A uniquely accessible history of the Welsh people.

This book celebrates the work and contribution of Professor Janet Burton to medieval monastic studies in Britain. Burton has fundamentally changed approaches to the study of religious foundations in regional contexts (Yorkshire and Wales), placing importance on social networks for monastic structures and female Cistercian communities in medieval Britain; moreover, she has pioneered research on the canons and their place in medieval English and Welsh societies. This Festschrift comprises contributions by her colleagues, former students and friends – leading scholars in the field – who engage with and develop themes that are integral to Burton’s work. The rich and diverse collection in the present volume represents original work on religious life in the British Isles from the twelfth to the sixteenth century as homage to the transformative contribution that Burton has made to medieval monastic studies in the British Isles.

From their introduction in the early twelfth century the Cistercians were one of the leading monastic orders in Britain. Many of the finest monastic remains - Fountains, Rievaulx and Tintern - are Cistercian. This 1986 book is a comprehensive survey of Cistercian art and architecture in the British Isles. The various contributions, all by leading specialists, cover the historical and literary background; the development of Cistercian architecture (especially in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the Cistercians were in the forefront of architectural achievement, playing an important role in the introduction and dissemination of the Gothic style); and art forms such as wall painting, stained glass, tile pavements, and manuscript illumination, as well as liturgy and music. These studies reveal what was distinctively Cistercian in the art and architecture of the Order, and permit a distinct understanding of the remarkable contribution of the Cistercians to the culture of medieval Britain.

This book is a comprehensive study of the churches and monastic buildings constructed by the Cistercian order in Wales. It covers fourteen abbeys situated across the principality and its borders, recognised by the Cistercians of the later Middle Ages as their 'province of Wales'. Welsh Cistercians have been comparatively well served by their historians, their buildings, however, have attracted far less scholarly attention. David Robinson's work will correct this imbalance, and represents the first attempt in modern times to assess and understand the above and below ground remains of this highly significant group of abbeys. The first part of the book is a survey of the available evidence, both of upstanding remains and excavated foundations, for all the known Cistercian buildings in Wales. This forms the basis for an analysis of their architectural characteristics and the identification of several distinct phases of growth and change. The book concludes with a gazetteer of the fourteen Cistercian abbeys which are the subject of the study, consisting of a comprehensive account of the archaeology and architecture of each site. The whole work is accompanied by newly commissioned plans, drawings and photographs.