Rushen Abbey is a former abbey on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

, located in

Ballasalla Ballasalla () is a village in the parish of Malew in the south-east of the Isle of Man. The village is situated close to the Isle of Man Airport and north-east of the town of Castletown. History Ballasalla grew up around nearby Rushen Abbe ...

. Originally home for monks of the Savignac order, it soon came under

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...

control and remained so until its dissolution. The abbey is located from

Castle Rushen Castle Rushen ( gv, Cashtal Rosien) is a medieval castle located in the Isle of Man's historic capital, Castletown, in the south of the island. It towers over the Market Square to the south-east and the harbour to the north-east. The castle i ...

, the politically most important site on the island in

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

times. Both these sites are on the ''Awin Rosien'', a river now called the

Silver Burn The Silver Burn or Silverburn River (Manx: ''Awin Rosien'') is a small river, about long, on the Isle of Man which rises near the South Barrule and flows south. It passes St Mark's and in its lower reaches it flows under the Monks' Bridge at Ba ...

History

The abbey was founded in 1134, under Óláfr Guðrøðarson's control. He granted the land to Savignac monks from Furness Abbey. In 1147 the abbey came under Cistercian rule following the merging of the Savignac and Cistercian orders. The abbey church dedicated to St Mary was completed in 1257. The abbey was dissolved in the 16th century. In 1853 the

Isle of Man Government The Isle of Man Government ( gv, Reiltys Ellan Vannin) is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of Charles III. The executive head is the Chie ...

bought Rushen Abbey with the intention of turning it into a

lunatic asylum The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatr ...

, but it was never used for such a purpose, and in 1864 an Act was passed revoking the sale.''Mona's Herald.'' Wednesday, August 05, 1925; Page: 3 In the early 1900s, the abbey ruins became a popular tourist destination, famous for the strawberries and cream served in its gardens. After falling into disrepair after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the abbey was acquired by Manx National Heritage in May 1998, and restorations have now been made. Soon afterwards, excavations began, and archaeologists discovered more about the monks' way of life and practices. The abbey is now a heritage centre (part of the "Story of Mann") with a building containing artefacts and telling the history of Rushen Abbey and the surrounding area. The remains of the original abbey have been restored and walkways constructed to allow visitors to get a close look. Between April and October the abbey is open to the public and an admission fee is payable. Before accessing the abbey gardens, visitors must walk through a museum that explains the role of the abbey. There is interactive, audio and video material available. At the end of the exhibition, there is an area designed for children, allowing them to build an arch and discover the monastery's history in a way that is more appealing to them. The centre is advertised to children with the phrase "Monky business". The ''

Chronicle of Mann The ''Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles''
– British Library ( la, Chron ...

'' was compiled at Rushen Abbey, as were many other important documents relating to the island. The abbey is significant in this respect, as it would have been the centre of knowledge and literacy on the island.

Monks' Bridge

Monks from Rushen Abbey would sometimes have farms in the north of the island. A

packhorse bridge A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses (horses loaded with sidebags or panniers) across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow (one horse wide) masonry arches, and has low parapets so ...

was built in around 1350 to allow the monks to cross the nearby Silverburn River. Known today as The Monks' Bridge (or ''The Crossag''), it is one of few surviving packhorse bridges in the British Isles.

Burials

Olaf the Black Óláfr Guðrøðarson (died 1237) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Amhlaibh Dubh''), also known as Olaf the Black, was a thirteenth-century King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty. He was a son of Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of the Isles and ...

Magnús Óláfsson Magnús Óláfsson (died 24 November 1265) was a King of Mann and the Isles. He was a son of Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty. Magnús' realm encompassed Mann and parts of the Hebrides. Some leading ...

* Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson

References

External links

Rushen Abbey
Centre for Manx Studies page about the abbey
Rushen Abbey
Information from Manx National Heritage
Information about Rushen Abbey
{{Coord, 54, 05, 56, N, 4, 38, 15, W, display=title, region:IM_type:landmark Religious organizations established in the 1130s Tourist attractions in the Isle of Man Cistercian monasteries in the United Kingdom Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Burial sites of the Crovan dynasty Roman Catholic monasteries in the Isle of Man Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation