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Tours > Wales > Strata Florida Abbey
Strata Florida Abbey
 The Abbey's name comes from its situation in the Vale of Flowers, in Welsh Ystrad Fflur (Ustrad Fleer). It was founded by the Cistercians in 1164, possibly on an earlier Cluniac foundation. It was the political, religious and educational center of Wales in the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1238, it witnessed an assembly of Welsh princes called together by Llywelyn the Great to swear allegiance to his son Dafydd.
There is not much to be seen of the Abbey today, despite its earlier splendor, apart from the Celtic-Romanesque west door (pictured above). Much of the site is occupied by 18th century farm buildings. A small museum on the premises tells something of its history. Much of the Chronicle of the Princes (Brut y Tywysogion) was written at the Abbey and nine minor Welsh princes are buried here. It may also be the resting place of Dafydd ap Gwilym, Wales' greatest medieval poet.
For centuries, many pilgrims came to Strata Florida to drink from the remnants of a small, wooden cup believed to be the chalice used at the Last Supper, the so-called "Holy Grail." The cup was said to have miraculous healing properties. It was later taken to the mansion at Nanteos, near Aberystwyth, in possession of the Powells family, but now kept by another family in a secret location.
Next Stop: Tregaron
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