1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Tintern Abbey

TINTERN ABBEY, in Monmouthshire, one of the most famous ecclesiastical ruins in England. It is beautifully situated on the right bank of the river Wye. The abbey was founded by Walter de Clare in 1151 for Cistercian monks. The existing church, however, dates from the later part of the 13th century; it is unroofed, and the nave is imperfect, but many of the finest details of a style transitional from Early English to Decorated are preserved. The church is cruciform. Cloisters and other monastic buildings, of which there are considerable remains, lay to the north of the church. The foundation was dissolved by Henry VIII. At the neighbouring village of Tintern Parva there is a station on a branch of the Great Western railway.