The Founding of Tintern Abbey
May 9, 1131
Tintern Abbey was established on this date by the Anglo-Norman nobleman Walter de Clare on the Welsh side of the River Wye on lands given him by Henry I. Great monasteries in the Middle Ages were built by wealthy Christians invested with secular power.
Tintern Abbey was the first Cistercian house founded in Wales. The Cistercians had been founded at Cîteaux in 1098 as a breakaway movement of Benedictines seeking to observe the Rule of St. Benedict more strictly. Henry I welcomed Cistercian houses in his realm.
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James M. Kushiner is the Director of Publications for The Fellowship of St. James and the former Executive Editor of Touchstone.
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