Vale Royal Abbey
| Vale Royal Abbey | |
|---|---|
|
|
| location |
 United Kingdom of England
|
| Coordinates: | 53 ° 13 '0 " N , 2 ° 33' 0" W |
| founding year | 1266 |
| Year of dissolution / annulment |
1538 |
| Mother monastery | Dore Abbey |
| Primary Abbey | Morimond Monastery |
Vale Royal Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in England .
location
The abbey was in Whitegate between Northwich and Winsford in Cheshire .
history
The abbey, consecrated to the Virgin Mary, St. Nicholas and St. Nicasius, was founded around 1266 by Prince Edward, who later became King Edward I, on the basis of a vow made on the occasion of a distress at sea during the crossing from France in 1263 . It was a daughter monastery of Dore Abbey in Herefordshire , which in turn came from the filiation of Morimond Primary Abbey . The first monks from Dore Abbey under Abbot Walter did not arrive until 1274. Around 1276/1281 the abbey was relocated from Darnhall to Over, later the Vale Royal.
The church was planned as the largest Cistercian abbey church in England with a length of 128 m on a cross-shaped floor plan with a crossing tower and further west towers as well as a semicircular choir with 13 choir chapels. The transept had three chapels to the east on either side. The enclosure was to the right of the church and its dimensions corresponded to the size of the church. The initially abundant flow of funds soon became more sparse due to the wars in Wales, until the royal interest in the abbey died out completely around 1290, whereupon construction work was initially discontinued and then continued only to a very limited extent. The eastern part of the church was completed around 1330.
However, there were clashes with the rural population, culminating in the abbot's assassination in 1339, and with the landed gentry. Work on the nave was resumed around 1350, but a storm caused severe damage in 1360, which led to the planning being significantly reduced under the government of King Richard II . The abbot was also killed in 1437. Only in the late period of the abbey did things become orderly. In 1535 the abbey was estimated to have an income of £ 540, a substantial amount. In 1538 it was dissolved. The royal commissioner Thomas Holcroft bought the complex, had the church and a large part of the abbey buildings demolished and the south and west of the enclosure turned into a mansion. In 1615 it came into the hands of the Cholmondeley family, where it remained for over 300 years, although it was changed several times, including when John Douglas extensively redesigned the south wing around 1860. Today the complex houses a golf club .
Plant and buildings
Nothing of the church has survived, but the location of the high altar is marked by a cemetery cross called "Nun's Grave". Excavations took place in 1911/12, but nothing is visible anymore. The manor house still has parts of the old monastery complex, especially the gate entrance. The former gate chapel of St. Mary's Whitegate has been preserved .
literature
- Anthony New: A guide to the Abbeys of England and Wales. Constable & Company, London 1985, ISBN 0-09-463520-X , ISBN 0-09-463520-X , p. 399 f., With sketch.
