Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

FIFTH SFBIFS.— VOL. XI, NO. XLIIL JULY 1894. VALLE CRUCIS ABBEY. BY HAROLD HUGHES, ESQ., A.R.I.B.A. The situation of the Abbey, the plan of the church, and the relative positions of the few conventual buildings remaining, would, even were there no further evidence, be sufficient data to convince us that the Abbey of Valle Crucis belonged to the Cistercian order. Of the situation enough has been said in former accounts. It will now suffice to refer to the original instructions published at the General Chapter of 1134 respecting the sites of Cistercian abbeys. They read as follows: " In civitatibus, in castellis, aut villis, nulla nostra construenda sunt coenobia sed in locis a conver- satione hominum semotis."1 The valley in which our Abbey is situated is fully in accordance with this rule. The church, in common with all those of the Order, is built in the form of a cross, and consists of a short and aisleless presbytery, square transepts with eastern aisles (each aisle being divided into two chapels), and a nave five bays in length, with side-aisles. That the form of the cross was not simply adopted either to fulfil best the ritual requirements, or for Esthetic purposes, but rather for symbolical reasons, may be gathered from the following rule relating to the planning of all Cistercian abbey churches, published Instituta Generalis Capituli, a.d. mcxxxiv, cap. i. This rule, in nearly identical words, is included in Statutes of 1256. 5th skr. vol. xi. 13