Best Romanesque Gothic

Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the Vienna Woods, Lower Austria, founded in 1133 by Margrave Leopold III of Austria. It ranks among the oldest continuously occupied Cistercian monasteries in the world and remains an active religious community. The complex integrates Romanesque, Goth...

Rievaulx Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in North Yorkshire, England, located in the Rye Valley near Helmsley. Founded in 1132 by Bernard of Clairvaux with colonizing monks from Clairvaux, it became the first Cistercian house in northern England and eventually established numerous daughter ho...

The Sacra di San Michele is a Benedictine abbey complex perched on the rocky summit of Monte Pirchiriano in the Susa Valley of Piedmont, Italy. Founded around the late 10th century, it is regarded as the symbolic inspiration for Umberto Eco's 1980 novel The Name of the Rose. The complex is part of a...

Echternach Abbey, located in Echternach, Luxembourg, is a former Benedictine monastery founded in 698 by Saint Willibrord, an Anglo-Saxon missionary who became the first bishop of Utrecht. Willibrord's tomb at the abbey made it a significant medieval pilgrimage destination. The abbey is the center o...

Noirlac Abbey (Abbaye de Noirlac) is a former Cistercian monastery in the Cher department of Berry, central France, founded in 1136 by monks from Clairvaux. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in France, with a 12th- and 13th-century church and cloister reflecting the trans...

Jedburgh Abbey is a former Augustinian priory located in the Scottish Borders, founded around 1138 by King David I of Scotland. The site is distinguished by its large cruciform church, which exhibits a transition from Romanesque to early Gothic architectural styles. Notable surviving features includ...

Jerpoint Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in County Kilkenny, Ireland, founded in the second half of the 12th century. The abbey is noted for its well-preserved cloister, whose arcades display carved figures and decorative motifs from the late medieval period. The site also retains substantial...

Boyle Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located in County Roscommon, Ireland, founded in 1161. The abbey exhibits a transition between Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles, with notable carved details on its piers and arches. It is maintained by the Office of Public Works and is accessibl...

The Riga Cathedral clock tower is the prominent western tower of Riga Cathedral, commonly called the Dome Cathedral, in Latvia's capital. The cathedral was founded in 1211 and developed over centuries, so its architecture incorporates Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and later elements rather than repre...

Hauterive Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located near Fribourg, Switzerland. Founded in 1138, it is considered one of the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monasteries in the country. The abbey's architecture represents a transition between Romanesque and Gothic styles. It remains an active religi...

Veruela Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, founded in the 12th century. The complex features an austere Romanesque-Gothic church and classical cloisters typical of the order. In the 19th century, the ruins served as a retreat for the Spanish Romantic p...

La Oliva Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located in Navarre, Spain, founded in the mid-12th century. It is distinguished by its austere Romanesque and early Gothic architecture, including a large church and a chapter house with distinctive vaulting. The complex features a notable Gothic cloister tha...