VALLE CRUCIS ABBEY



Rear of the Abbey ... the pond in the foreground is the oldest surviving monastic fishpond in Wales



I hope you enjoy your visit to my Valle Crucis Abbey page . . . .




Please be patient, this page might be a bit slow to load, there are a lot of images on this page.



My husband and myself visited the Abbey on a cold, miserable, rainy January day ... definately not the best time for a visit, but we had the Abbey to ourselves. The photos I took inside the Chapter House were just like the weather ... very dreary ... so the quality leaves a lot to be desired. I would like to visit the Abbey again when the weather is more favourable, hopefully then my photos will be of a better quality.



  • ' The Cistercian Abbey of Valle Crucis ' is situated at the foot of the Horseshoe Pass in Llangollen, North Wales.

  • The Abbey's Latin name translates as ... VALLEY OF THE CROSS.

  • Valle Crucis was founded in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffudd Maelor ... the ruler of Northern Powys. The Abbey was colonized by the Cistercians or as they were known the ... ' White Monks '.

  • Valle Crucis was sometimes known as Abbatia de Llangwest ...The Abbey of Llanegwestl ... a name to which the settlement, which had earlier stood on the site of the Abbey was known as.

  • After a fire in the middle of the 13th century the Church within the Abbey had to be extensively rebuilt.

  • The Chapter House was the most important building in the Abbey other than the Church, it is where the Monks gathered every morning to hear a chapter read from the ' Rule of St Benedict,' it is where the monks confessed their faults to the Abbot and received their punishments. The Chapter House dates from around 1400.

  • The pond at the rear of the Abbey has been restored ... it is the only surviving Monastic Fish Pond in Wales.

  • Following the dissolution of the Abbey around the year 1537 ... the building then had various uses ... the main use was as a farm.

  • The Abbey is now cared for by CADW ... Who are an organisation who care for ... Welsh Historic Monuments.


    Click on the pictures below to open a larger version of the same picture ... it will open in a new window.



    Let your mouse hover over each picture for a brief description of the photograph.



    West Front view of the Abbey
    West Front of the Abbey taken from inside the Nave
    West Front view of the Abbey taken outside the Nave
    The Nave Another view inside the Nave The Chapter House
    The Chapter House, the wall ruins are the remains of the Monks latrine
    Grave of an unnamed monk
    		Rear view of the Abbey with Fish Pond in the foreground
    Rear of Abbey
    Surviving wall sculpture
    Inside the Chapter House
    Inside the Chapter House
    Inside the Chapter House
    Inside the Chapter House



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    All photographs on this website are the property of my husband and myself. Please do not help yourself to them ... if you are interested in any photo for non profit use please drop me an email ... I might even be able to supply you with the full sized photo.







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