 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Fountains Abbey: History
Fountains Abbey: Buildings
|
Building work (20/26) An unusual thing happened, for three Johns were
successively head of the church of Fountains, of whom one began
the building of the church, the second carried on the work and
the third finished it gloriously.
The major achievement of the three abbot Johns was the instigation and completion of a building programme, which was as impressive in its grandeur as its scale. Swelling numbers and an increased number of ordained monks (i.e. priests), made it desirable, if not necessary, to expand the monastic buildings, in particular the abbey church. Indeed, this was the focus of the construction work. The presbytery was extended to the east, which provided more space for the monks, more altars for the priests to celebrate private masses, and also allowed more light into this part of the church, for there had been complaints that this area was rather dark and gloomy. The new east arm of the presbytery was twice as long as the old one and culminated in the splendid Chapel of Nine Altars, which was modelled on Clairvaux. This was of practical and symbolic importance, since it accommodated the increased numbers and also reinforced Fountains’ link with its mother-house.(78) The extension of the presbytery had necessitated the demolition of the old infirmary but Abbot John of Kent constructed a wonderful new infirmary, which was, in fact, one of the largest aisled halls in England in the Middle Ages.(79) |
