List of monastic houses in Wales is a catalogue of

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The c ...

s, priories, friaries and other

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

religious houses in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. In this article,

alien house Alien priories were religious establishments in England, such as monasteries and convents, which were under the control of another religious house outside England. Usually the mother-house was in France.Coredon ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms'' p. ...

s are included, as are smaller establishments such as cells and notable

monastic grange Monastic granges were outlying landholdings held by monasteries independent of the manorial system. The first granges were owned by the Cistercians and other orders followed. Wealthy monastic houses had many granges, most of which were largely ...

s (particularly those with resident monks), and also camerae of the military orders of monks (Templars and Hospitallers). The numerous monastic hospitals ''per se'' are not included here unless at some time the foundation had, or was purported to have, the status or function of an abbey,

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

preceptory A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a '' precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddh ...

commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...

. The geographical co-ordinates provided are sourced from details provided by Ordnance Survey publications.

Overview

Article layout

Communities/provenance: this column shows the status and communities existing at each establishment, together with such dates as have been established as well as the fate of the establishment after

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

, and the current status of the site. Formal Name or Dedication: this column shows the formal name of the establishment or the person in whose name the church is dedicated, where known. Alternative Names: some of the establishments have had alternative names over the course of time. In order to assist in text-searching such alternatives in name or spelling have been provided.

Abbreviations and key

Locations with names in ''italics'' indicate probable duplication (misidentification with another location)
or non-existent foundations (either erroneous reference or proposed foundation never implemented).

List of establishments by county

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

Gwynedd

Monmouthshire

Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a county borough in the south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Taf ...

Newport

Pembrokeshire

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vill ...

Swansea

Torfaen Torfaen (; cy, Torfaen ) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. Torfaen is bordered by the county of Monmouthshire to the east, the city of Newport to the south, and the county boroughs of Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent to the south-w ...

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

Notes

References

*Anthony New, ''A guide to the abbeys of England and Wales'', Constable, 1985 *Henry Thorold, ''Collins Guide to Cathedrals, Abbeys and Priories of England and Wales'', Collins, 1986 *Henry Thorold, ''Collins Guide to the Ruined Abbeys of England, Wales and Scotland'', Collins, 1993 *Geoffrey N. Wright, ''Discovering Abbeys and Priories'', Shire Publications Ltd. 2004 *Richard Morris, ''Cathedrals and Abbeys of England and Wales'', JM Dent & Sons Ltd. 1979 * Knowles, David & Hadcock, R. Neville (1971) ''Medieval Religious Houses England & Wales''. Longman *M.R. James, ''Abbeys'', The Grammar School, Thornbury, Glos. 1925 *David Robinson, ''The Cistercian Abbeys of Britain'', B.T.Batsford with English Heritage, CADW, Historic Scotland, 2002 *

Derry Brabbs Derry Brabbs is a British landscape photographer and author. From 1984 onwards he worked with Alfred Wainwright on a series of books, including ''Fellwalking with Wainwright'' which won the 1985 Lakeland Book of the Year. He judged the annual ph ...

, ''Abbeys and Monasteries'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999 *''Map of Monastic Britain, South Sheet'', Ordnance Survey, 2nd Edition, 1954 *William Cobbett,
List Of Abbeys, Priories, Nunneries, Hospitals: And Other Religious Foundations In England And Wales And In Ireland, Confiscated, Seized On, Or Alienated, By The Protestant "Reformation" Sovereigns And Parliaments
', Thomas Richardson and Son; Dublin and Derby, 1868 *''British History Online'
British History Online , The core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles

External links

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
in English and Welsh
Monastic Wales
research project database {{DEFAULTSORT:Monastic houses in Wales Medieval sites in Wales Lists of religious buildings and structures in Wales

Abbeys and priories in Wales List of monastic houses in Wales is a catalogue of abbeys, priories, friaries and other monastic religious houses in Wales. In this article, alien houses are included, as are smaller establishments such as cells and notable monastic granges ( ...