Tintern Abbey

Welcome, dear readers, to Tintern Abbey. This lovely abbey was founded in 1131, and it was the first Cistercian abbey to be founded in Wales, and only the second in the UK.

The present day remains of the abbey are a mixture of building works covering a 400-year period between 1136 and 1536.

As quoted by Wikipedia:

In the reign of King Henry VIII, traditional monastic life in England and Wales was brought to an abrupt end by his policy of establishing total control over the church, partly to take advantage of the considerable wealth of the monasteries. On September 3, 1536, Abbot Wyche surrendered Tintern Abbey to the King's visitors and ended a way of life which had lasted 400 years. The valuable articles from the Abbey were sent to the King's treasury, and Abbot Wyche was pensioned off. The building was granted to the then-lord of Chepstow, Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester. Lead from the roof was sold, and the decay of the shell of the buildings began.

The ruins were particularly beautiful and I really enjoyed visiting. I hope you enjoyed the pictures.