Cistercian
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Maulbronn Monastery
Maulbronn, Germany
1147
A World Heritage Site, Maulbronn Monastery (Kloster Maulbronn) is the best-preserved medieval monastery north of the Alps. Its architecture, mostly in the Transitional Gothic style, was highly influential in the area.
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Melrose Abbey
Melrose, Scotland
1136-46
This Cistercian abbey south of Edinburgh was founded in 1136 and is now in picturesque ruins. It is said to enshrine the heart of Robert the Bruce.
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Fountains Abbey
Lindrick with Studley Royal and Fountains, England
1135
Founded by Cistercian monks in 1132, this is the largest monastic ruin in Britain and part of a World Heritage Site. It has many interesting things to see in a beautiful natural setting.
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Kinloss Abbey
Kinloss, Scotland
Walled burial ground containing ruins of Kinloss Abbey.
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Casamari Abbey
Italy
This active Cistercian monastery southeast of Rome dates from the 13th century. Its austere church has delicate columns, vaulted ceilings, small stained-glass windows and a lovely cloister.
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Dore Abbey
Abbey Dore, England
c. 1180
Dore Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey church built around 1180, which impressive dimensions and decoration, even without its nave. Like most Cistercian abbeys, it has an exceptionally scenic setting.
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Silvacane Abbey
France
Founded in 1147, Silvacane Abbey is one of the Cistercian monasteries known as the Three Sisters of Provence. Its buildings are rather bare but have a noble simplicity that is representative of Cistercian ideals.
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Abbaye d'Alet-les-Bains
Alet les Bains, France
The Abbaye Sainte-Marie d'Alet is situated between the Aude river and the Pyrenees mountains in the heart of Cathar country. It is considered by some to be the most beautiful ruin in France.
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Cîteaux Abbey
Saint-Nicolas-les-Cîteaux, France
Founded in 1098, the Abbaye de Cîteaux is a historically important abbey located south of Dijon, France. It is the mother house of the Cistercian monastic order, which is named for the abbey.
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Hailes Abbey
Hailes, England
1246
This ruined Cistercian monastery in Gloucestershire was once a major medieval pilgrimage destination. Founded by the brother of King Henry III in 1246, it was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1539.
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Byland Abbey
Byland with Wass, England
Byland Abbey is one of the three great Cistercian monasteries of North Yorkshire, with Fountains and Rievaulx. Although the community had a rocky start, its abbey church was once the largest in England.
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Tintern Abbey
1131
The second-oldest Cistercian monastery in Britain, Tintern Abbey stands in picturesque ruins on the southeastern border of Wales.