Valle Crucis Abbey

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of an abbey; which is a Christian monastery or convent under the government of an Abbot or Abbess, dating to the medieval period. This Cistercian abbey was founded in AD1201, and finally dissolved in AD1537. It consists of church and associated domestic buildings. As well as the west end front wall, extensive parts of the east end of the structures survive. The chancel walls, the southern part of the transept, the east range of the cloister together with the chapter house and sacristy and the lower part of the reredorter all survive mainly intact. The pool to the east of the abbey ruins has normally been recognised as the monastic fishpond. Anomolies in the area to the west and south of the upstanding remains, as shown on aerial photographs, may indicate the location of the precinct and its boundary.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the organisation and practice of medieval Christianity. The site forms an important element within the wider medieval landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and techniques.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and the areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.