medievaliz: Rievaulx AbbeyYorkshire, England Former Cistercian...

medievaliz:

Rievaulx Abbey Yorkshire, England

Former Cistercian abbey founded in the 12th century.  Dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538. 

I visited this abbey on an outing with my MA program.  Of the sites we visited that day, this was by far my favorite.  I remember standing there, rubbing my hands along the stone walls and being overcome by the sense that generations had stood there before me, and rubbed their hands here, walked along these great buildings, lived within these walls.  History is so thick in places like Rievaulx, you can breathe it in, taste it, hear it echo against the thick stones.