Forde Abbey is a building in Dorset, England. Dorset (pronounced Dorsit, sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the southwest of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK...
It is a former Cistercianmonastery. 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. ... The Tikse monastery in Ladakh, India A monastery is the habitation of monks, derived from the Greek word for a hermits cell. ...
Today it is run as a visitor attraction. A Visitor attraction is a place that primarily, or as a side-effect of its main purpose, caters for visitors, be they tourists, day-trippers or those on an educational mission. ...
Though it was a small number of monks who started the abbey, it nevertheless became one of the wealthiest and the most cultured monasteries in the southwest of England, flourishing for 300 years.
Many parts of the original abbey are now gone, including the church, and what remains has been adapted to another purpose, and yet the essence of a monastery inhabited by 12-century monks survives.
FordeAbbey has been owned since the late 1800s by the present family, the Ropers, who continue to live and farm there.
FordeAbbey was founded as a Cistercian Monastery in 1148 and was `modernized' in 1500 by Abbot Chard, whose Great Hall and Tower remain.
In 1640 the Abbey was turned by Sir Edmund Prideaux, Cromwell's Attorney General, into a Country House, whose magnificent interior is untouched, and includes a series of unique plaster ceilings and an outstanding set of Raphael Tapestries which were presented to Sir Frances Gwyn, Secretary of War by Queen Anne for services rendered.
Today the Abbey, surrounded by 25 acres of gardens and lakes, on the bank of the River Axe, is the home of the Roper family but is open to the public on a limited basis, and is well worth a visit.
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