Llanllugan Abbey
Encyclopedia
Llanllugan Abbey was a monastery
of Cistercian nuns
, one of only two women's monasteries in Wales, located at Llanllugan, Powys
, Wales
. It was founded around 1188 on land donated by Maredudd ap Robert, Lord of Cedewain
, and was founded as a dependency of the Cistercian monk
s at the Abbey of Strata Marcella
. The former monastery church survives as the parish church
of Llanllugan. However, the site of the abbey buildings remains uncertain: they might have been in a meadow 200 metres to the south of the church.
The Princes of Wales founded a number of Cistercian monasteries in that period, which were independent of the ones founded in Norman
England
, at a time Norman forces were pushing their way into that region. As a result, these houses were nominally allied with the native Welsh nobility.
The abbey is famous in Welsh literature from a poem by the leading poet Dafydd ap Gwilym
entitled Cyrchu Lleian (Wooing a nun): Dafydd's lover, Morfudd, may have been consigned there by her father to keep her out of harm's way. It has been suggested that the abbey was small: only four nuns and an abbess were recorded in 1377, and it might have been extinct by the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
.
Dafydd's poem (written before the Black Death
) suggests there were some 60 nuns at that time; however the figure should be taken as poetic license, as the two Welsh communities of nuns rarely seem to have had more than a dozen members each.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Cistercian nuns
Cistercian nuns
Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church.-History:...
, one of only two women's monasteries in Wales, located at Llanllugan, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was founded around 1188 on land donated by Maredudd ap Robert, Lord of Cedewain
Bettws Cedewain
Bettws Cedewain , also known as Bettws Cedewen, is a small village and community in Powys, Wales. It lies in a sheltered valley on the banks of the Bechan Brook, some 3 miles north of Newtown....
, and was founded as a dependency of the Cistercian monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s at the Abbey of Strata Marcella
Strata Marcella
The Abbey of Strata Marcella , was a medieval Cistercian monastery situated at Ystrad Marchell on the west bank of the River Severn near Welshpool, Powys, Wales.- Founding :...
. The former monastery church survives as the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Llanllugan. However, the site of the abbey buildings remains uncertain: they might have been in a meadow 200 metres to the south of the church.
The Princes of Wales founded a number of Cistercian monasteries in that period, which were independent of the ones founded in Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, at a time Norman forces were pushing their way into that region. As a result, these houses were nominally allied with the native Welsh nobility.
The abbey is famous in Welsh literature from a poem by the leading poet Dafydd ap Gwilym
Dafydd ap Gwilym
Dafydd ap Gwilym , is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315/1320 – c. 1350/1370), is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym...
entitled Cyrchu Lleian (Wooing a nun): Dafydd's lover, Morfudd, may have been consigned there by her father to keep her out of harm's way. It has been suggested that the abbey was small: only four nuns and an abbess were recorded in 1377, and it might have been extinct by the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
Dafydd's poem (written before the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
) suggests there were some 60 nuns at that time; however the figure should be taken as poetic license, as the two Welsh communities of nuns rarely seem to have had more than a dozen members each.
External links
- CPAT "Montgomeryshire Churches Survey" http://www.cpat.demon.co.uk/projects/longer/churches/montgom/32541.htm