North transept (detail). Furness Abbey, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe.

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Furness Abbey, or St Mary of Furness, is a former Cistercian monastery situated on the outskirts of the Cumbrian town, Dalton-in-Furness. Founded in 1123 by Stephen, Count of Blois, it was built originally for the Order of Savigny. Located in the 'Valley of the Deadly Nightshade' between Dalton-in-Furness and Barrow-in-Furness, the abbey is built entirely out of local sandstone. The abbey passed in 1147 to the Cistercians, who gradually enlarged and rebuilt the original ornate church. The majority of the current ruins date from the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 15th Century the abbey had been completely re-modelled and had become the second richest and most powerful, as well as one of the grandest, Cistercian Abbeys in the United Kingdom, after Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire.

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Size: 3301px × 5111px
Location: Furness Abbey, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe.
Photo credit: © Stan Pritchard / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: abbey, cistercian, english, furness, heritage, monastery, transept