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Fountains Abbey: History
Fountains Abbey: Buildings
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Foundation: a Cistercian identity (2/4) They were in a gloomy place, settled in the
wilderness without food,
A real Cistercian community was therefore established at Skelldale: there were buildings and workshops, the monks had an abbot and an identity. Numbers increased as recruits now joined the community as novices. Life, however, was far from easy. The community lacked resources and was badly affected by the famine of 1133 that devastated the country. The monks had neither food nor money for themselves, let alone the crowd of hungry men who allegedly flocked to them for help.
The trusty elm tree that had afforded them shelter in the early days was once again a source of refuge. This time it provided sustenance for the monks who picked its leaves and made this into a bitter soup (pottage), along with herbs they had gathered. The group of reform-minded monks who had fled from St Mary’s seeking simplicity and austerity now knew the true meaning of poverty. |
