Site of Strata Florida Abbey

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Strata Florida Abbey or Ystrad Fflur as local people know it, was built in 1164 and is the final resting place for generations of medieval Welsh princes.

The site of the Abbey on meadows beside the banks of the river Teifi, has been a sacred valley for over four thousand years and there is evidence of a long history of people using the land and settling on the site, going back to 2500-2000 B.C.  At the head of the Glasffrwyd valley, at Blaenglasffrwd, is a large complex of monuments dating from the early Bronze Age or even the Late Neolithic period.

The abbey of Strata Florida – Latin for ‘Vale of Flowers’ ha much to captivate at this evocative, historically important site. Beautiful atmospheric settings. Memorials to the Welsh Princes. On-site visitor centre and exhibition.The great Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym is said to be buried under a yew in the churchyard. 

It was established by white-robed Cistercian monks as part of a movement that spread across the whole of western Europe in the early Middle Ages. Soon it became the most famous church in Wales after St Davids –­ a place of pilgrimage and a linchpin of Welsh culture.

There are unmistakable echoes of greatness among the ruins. The carved west doorway into the abbey offers an epic view down the nave to where the high altar once stood.

You can still see some of the incredible decorated tiles that would have covered the floors of the church. Griffins, birds and fleurs-de-lis surround the enigmatic ‘Man with the Mirror’. This 14th-century figure dressed in a doublet and close-fitting hood is reckoned to be a symbol of vanity.

 

 

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Facilities

Accessibility

  • Facilities for hearing impaired

Booking & Payment Details

  • Credit cards accepted (no fee)

Catering

  • On-site light refreshments

Children

  • Children welcome

Parking

  • Free Parking

Property Facilities

  • Dogs Accepted
  • Gift shop
  • Smoking not allowed

Site Features

  • Regional Tourist Board Member

Target Markets

  • Accepts groups

Map & Directions

Road Directions

A487 south from Aberystwyth, left onto A4120 (signed for Devil's Bridge) and immediately right onto the B4340 (signed for Trawsgoed) and continue on this road to Pontrhydfendigaid. Or travelling west towards Aberystwyth on the A44, take the B4343/A4120 roads to Devil's Bridge and onto Pontrhydfendigaid. In the village, left where signed to the Abbey.

Bike: NCN Route No.82 passes 1.5 miles away close to Pontrhydfendigaid.

Accessible by Public Transport: Aberystwyth station is 17 miles away.

Strata Florida Abbey (Cadw)

Type:Historic Site

Strata Florida Abbey, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion, SY25 6ES

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Tel03000 252239

Related

Site of Strata Florida AbbeyPontrhydfendigaid, Devil's BridgeAt the heart of Pontrhydfendigaid - 'the bridge of the blessed ford' (known locally as ‘Bont’) is a narrow hump backed bridge across the river Teifi, whose source is about 5 miles away in the hills, at Teifi Pools.

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