Description
Canvas Print of Tintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery located in the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is situated on the banks of the River Wye, which flows through the Wye Valley. Founded in 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow, Tintern Abbey was dedicated to Saint Mary. It was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales and was a daughter house of Clifford Abbey in Herefordshire. The abbey is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and is surrounded by beautiful countryside, including the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and is managed by Cadw, the Welsh government’s historic environment service. It is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled ancient monument. Throughout its history, Tintern Abbey changed hands several times. It was seized by the crown during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century and was eventually granted to Sir Charles Somerset, Earl of Worcester. The abbey was later inherited by his son, Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester, who sold it to Sir Henry Williams in 1604. The abbey also played a role in the English Civil War, when it was used as a base by Parliamentary troops. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Tintern Abbey became a popular tourist destination and was the subject of many paintings and poems, including Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey.”
