Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey
Native name Welsh: Abaty Tyndyrn
Type	Abbey
Location	Tintern, Monmouthshire
Coordinates	51°41′49″N 2°40′37″W / 51.697°N 2.677°W / 51.697; -2.677
Built	1131
Governing body	Cadw
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Abbey Church of St Mary (Tintern Abbey) including monastic buildings
Designated	29 September 2000
Reference no.	24037
Scheduled monument
Official name	Tintern Abbey inner precinct
Reference no.	MM102
Scheduled monument
Official name	Tintern Abbey watergate
Designated	15 July 1998
Reference no.	MM265
Scheduled monument
Official name	Tintern Abbey precinct wall
Reference no.	MM157
Location of Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire

Tintern Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Tyndyrn pronunciation^ⓘ) was founded on 9 May 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow. It is situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. It was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales, and only the second in Britain (after Waverley Abbey).

The abbey fell into ruin after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. Its remains have been celebrated in poetry and painting from the 18th century onwards. In 1984, Cadw took over responsibility for managing the site. Tintern Abbey is visited by approximately 70,000 people every year.^[1]