1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Abbey/York

From Wikisource
Jump to: navigation, search
Abbey sub-article navigator
  1. Santa Laura
  2. Vatopede
  3. Benedictine
  4. Canterbury Cathedral
  5. Westminster Abbey
  6. York
  7. Cluny
  8. English Cluniac
  9. Cistercian
  10. Clairvaux
  11. Citeaux
  12. Kirkstall Abbey
  13. Fountains Abbey
  14. Austin Canons
  15. Bristol Cathedral
  16. Premonstratensians
  17. Carthusians
  18. Clermont
  19. Mendicant Friars
  20. Norwich; Gloucester
  21. Hulne
  22. Cells


St Mary's Abbey, York, of which the ground-plan is annexed, exhibits the usual Benedictine arrangements. The precincts are surrounded by a strong fortified wall on three york sidesYork. the river Ouse being sufficient protection on the fourth sidel The entrance was by a strong gateway (U) to the north. Close to the entrance was a chapel, where is now thechurch of St Olaf (W), in which the new-comers paid their devotions immediately on their arrival. Near the gate to the south was the guest-hall or hospitium (T). The buildings are completely ruined, but enough remains to enable us to identify the grand cruciform church (A), the cloister-court with the chapterhouse (B), the refectory (I), the kitchen-court with its offices (K, O, O) and the other principal apartments. The infirmary has perished completely.

Some Benedictine houses display exceptional arrangements, dependent upon local circumstances, e.g. the dormitory of Worcester runs from east to west, from the west walk of the cloister, and that of Durham is built over the west, instead of

EB1911 - Volume 01 pg. 46 img 1.png

Fig. 4.
St Mary's Abbey, York (Benedictine).—Churton's Monastic Ruins.

C.﻿Vestibule to ditto.
E.﻿Library or scriptorium.
K.﻿Great kitchen and court.
L.﻿Cellarer's office.
N.﻿Passage to cloister.

R.﻿Passage to abbot's house.
S.﻿Passage to common house.
U.﻿Great gate.
V.﻿Porter's lodge.
W.﻿Church of St Olaf.
Y.﻿Entrance from Bootham.

as usual, over the east walk; but, as a general rule, the arrangements deduced from the examples described may be regarded as invariable.