Valle Crucis Abbey (Valley of the Cross) is a Cistercian abbey located in Llantysilio in Denbighshire, north Wales. More formally the Abbey Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Valle Crucis it is known in Welsh both as Abaty Glyn Egwestl and Abaty Glyn y Groes. The abbey was built in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, Prince of Powys Fadog.

Valle Crucis was truly Welsh from the moment it was founded in 1201 by Prince Madog ap Gruffydd and the ‘white monks’ of the Cistercian order. Its Latin name (Valley of the Cross) refers to the nearby ninth-century Pillar of Eliseg, erected for the glory of a Welsh chieftain.

Majestic medieval abbey was legendary for its lavish feasts Valle Crucis was truly Welsh from the moment it was founded in 1201 by Prince Madog ap Gruffydd and the ‘white monks’ of the Cistercian order.

Valle Crucis wasn’t simply a place of prayer. For three turbulent centuries it was a working community whose livelihood depended on a series of outlying farms known as granges. Life there was very different depending on whether you were a choir monk or a lay brother.

Valle Crucis Abbey was founded for monks of the Cistercian order in the winter of 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, ruler of this part of Wales. It was the last of 14 Cistercian foundations to be built in Wales. The Cistercians or ‘White Monks’ were the most popular of the monastic orders.

The Cistercian Abbey of Valle Crucis was founded by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor in 1201, when twelve monks took occupation of a temporary wooden church and domestic accommodation, immediately...

The Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis was founded in 1201 by the ruler of northern Powys, Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, the prince of northern Powys (Powys Fadog). The name of the abbey meant Valley of the Cross and referred to nearby Eliseg’s Pillar, a stone cross from the ninth century, set by Concenn of Powys to honor ancestors.

Dec 2, 2020 · Valle Crucis is unusual because it contains the only surviving monastic fishpond in Wales tucked away behind the ruins. This ancient abbey now lies in majestic ruin behind a caravan park.

But it remains one of the best preserved and most atmospheric medieval abbeys. Valle Crucis began in austerity but was later celebrated by poets for its lavish hospitality, meals served in silver vessels and ale ‘flowing like a river’. In Wales only Tintern Abbey was richer when it was dissolved by royal decree in 1537.

Extensive remains of a Cistercian abbey, founded in 1201 and remodelled in the 14th century. A hidden gem in spectacular Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near the Horseshoe Pass.