St. Mary's Abbey

St Mary's Abbey is a historic Benedictine monastery in York, England. The ruins of the abbey date back to 1088 and are all that remains of one of the wealthiest and most powerful monasteries in England. The abbey's story is tied to two significant events in English history: it was founded by William the Conqueror to reinforce his hold on the north after 1066 and was ended by Henry VIII as a consequence of his Reformation of the church. The abbey estate occupied the entire site of the Museum Gardens, and the abbot was one of the most powerful clergymen of his day. The monks spent their days working in abbey administration, copying books, trading with merchants, and managing the abbey's estates. Visitors can see the remains of the walls of the nave and crossing of the abbey church, the cloister, and the stone walls that surrounded the abbey, which were built in the 1260s to defend the abbey. The abbey was surrendered to the Crown in 1539 and was later developed as a tourist attraction and a museum