Cathedrals · Yorkshire & the Humber
Rievaulx Abbey
In or near Sproxton.
Rievaulx Abbey is a cathedral in the United Kingdom.
Euan Nelson — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Best time of year
- Year-round
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
Rievaulx Abbey is located in North Yorkshire, with the postcode YO62 5LJ. Accessibility is limited for wheelchair users.
About
Rievaulx Abbey is a cathedral in england yorkshire, United Kingdom — the principal church of its diocese, dating from 1132. Cathedrals are seats of bishops in the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, and other Christian denominations across Britain.
Photo gallery
Summary from the official site
Rievaulx Abbey features extensive monastic ruins where visitors can explore the history of the site through audio tours and exhibitions. The museum showcases artifacts used by the monks, and there are displays detailing the abbey's destruction during the reign of Henry VIII.
Read more on the official property page.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Rievaulx Woods SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Rievaulx Abbey ( REE-voh) was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The wider site was awarded Scheduled Ancient Monument status in 1915 and the abbey was brought into the care of the then Ministry of Works in 1917. The ruins of its main buildings are today a tourist attraction, owned and maintained by English Heritage. The Cleveland Way long distance footpath passes just to the south of the Abbey.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Rievaulx Abbey was the first Cistercian monastery in the north of England, founded in 1132 by twelve monks from Clairvaux Abbey. Its remote location was well suited to the order's ideal of a strict life of prayer and self-sufficiency with little contact with the outside world. The abbey's patron, Walter Espec, also founded another Cistercian community, that of Wardon Abbey in Bedfordshire, on unprofitable wasteland on one of his inherited estates. William I, the first abbot of Rievaulx, started construction in the 1130s. The second abbot, Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, expanded the buildings and otherwise consolidated the existence of what in time became one of the great Cistercian abbeys of…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.2575, -1.1167
- District
- North Yorkshire
- Parish
- Rievaulx
- Postcode
- YO62 5LJ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Established
- 1132
- Opening
- Daily 10am–5pm; last entry at 4.30pm
- Official site
- www.english-heritage.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q1247496 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Rievaulx Abbey (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
Rievaulx Abbey
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Rievaulx Abbey Museum
Museums · 0.1 km
Rievaulx
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Parks · 0.3 km
Ashberry Hill
Mountains & hills · 0.6 km
Doric Temple
Follies · 0.6 km
Rievaulx Bridge
Historic bridges · 0.8 km
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Scawton
Villages · 3.1 km
National Centre for Birds of Prey
Natural landmarks · 3.2 km
Duncombe Park
Museums · 3.4 km
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Rievaulx Abbey?
- Rievaulx Abbey is in Yorkshire, United Kingdom (postcode YO62 5LJ), in the parish of Rievaulx.
- What is Rievaulx Abbey?
- Rievaulx Abbey is a cathedral in the United Kingdom.
- How do I get to Rievaulx Abbey?
- Drivers can use postcode YO62 5LJ.
- When was Rievaulx Abbey built?
- Built or established in 1132.
- Who owns Rievaulx Abbey?
- Rievaulx Abbey is owned by English Heritage.
- Is Rievaulx Abbey a protected site?
- Yes — Rievaulx Abbey is part of the Rievaulx Woods SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- How do I get to Rievaulx Abbey?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode YO62 5LJ. It sits within the Thirsk and Malton parliamentary constituency.