Aberconwy Abbey was a Cistercian abbey located at Conwy and later at Maenan near Llanrwst which in the 13th century was the most important abbey in North Wales. The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black scapular or apron) are a Catholic order of monks. ... Conwy (formerly anglicised as Conway) is a town in Conwy county borough, North Wales, United Kingdom, which faces the resort of Llandudno across the Conwy Estuary. ... Llanrwst (pronounced approximately hlanROOST) is a small town and Community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in the county borough of Conwy, traditional county of Denbighshire, north Wales. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...

A Cistercian house was founded at Rhedynog Felen near Caernarfon in 1186 by a group of monks from Strata Florida Abbey. About four or five years later they moved to Conwy, and in 1199 were given large grants of land by Llywelyn the Great who had recently become ruler of Gwynedd. Llywelyn was regarded as the founder of the house, and thanks to his support it came to hold more land than any other Welsh abbey, over 40,000 acres. On Llywelyn's death in 1240 he was buried at the abbey, and his son and successor Dafydd ap Llywelyn was also buried here in 1246. In 1248 Llywelyn's other son, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, who had been killed trying to escape from the Tower of London in 1244, was reburied at Aberconwy after the abbot of Aberconwy together with the abbot of Strata Florida, had arranged for his body to be repatriated from London. Caernarfon, 2002 Caernarfon (the Welsh spelling is now normally used in preference over the anglicised forms, Caernarvon or Carnarvon) is a royal town in north-west Wales. ... The remains of Strata Florida Abbey as depicted in the 1851 Illustrated London Reading Book Strata Florida (in Welsh: Ystrad Fflur) is a former Cistercian abbey situated just outside Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. ... Llywelyn ap Iorwerth ( 1173–April 11, 1240) was a Prince of Gwynedd and eventually ruler of much of Wales. ... Gwynedd was one of the kingdoms or principalities of medieval Wales. ... Dafydd ap Llywelyn (c. ... Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (c. ... For the film with this title, see Tower of London (1939 film). ...

The abbot of Aberconwy was an important figure in the negotiations between Llywelyn the Last and the English crown later in the century, and in 1262 was entrusted with the task of being Llywelyn's sole representative in negotiations. Arms used by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Gruffudd (in Welsh, he is remembered by the alliterative soubriquet Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf - Llywelyn, Our Last Leader; c. ...

Following Llywelyn's death in 1282, King Edward I of England obliged the monks to move from Conwy to Maenan, further up the Conwy valley, so that he could construct a castle and walled town at Conwy. The move had been completed by 1284, with Edward financing the building of a new abbey. In the 15th century the abbot, John ap Rhys, became involved in a dispute with Strata Florida abbey and led some of his monks and some soldiers on a raid on that abbey. The abbey was valued at £162 in 1535 and was supressed in 1537. Edward I (June 17, 1239–July 7, 1307), popularly known as Longshanks because of his 6 foot 2 inch frame and the Hammer of the Scots (his tombstone, in Latin, read, Hic est Edwardvs Primus Scottorum Malleus, Here lies Edward I, Hammer of the Scots), achieved fame as the monarch... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Little remains of the abbey buildings at Maenan, but the original abbey church in Conwy was adapted to become the parish church and though much rebuilt over the centuries some parts of the original church remain. The other buildings of the abbey are thought to have been located north and east of the church.

References

R.N. Cooper (1992) Abbeys and Priories of Wales (Christopher Davies) ISBN 0-7154-07120