Churches and Monasteries
Once the Normans had built a castle in an area they would then build a
church near it. The Church was extremely influential in the Middle Ages
and played a big part in society. Only one church existed and that was the
Roman Catholic Church headed by the Pope who lived in Rome in Italy.
The Normans split Wales into four dioceses (districts), each under the
care of a Bishop. These Bishops took their orders from the Archbishop of
Canterbury who had been chosen by the King of England and appointed
by the Pope. The churches that the Normans built were made of stone and
replaced the old Welsh wooden churches. Welsh monasteries of the
Celtic Church were also replaced by the Normans with Benedictine
monasteries. Most of the monks who lived in them came from Normandy
and were known as Black Monks because of the black robes they wore.
Benedictine monasteries were built near Norman castles in Monmouth,
Brecon and Carmarthen. Later Cistercian monasteries came to places in
Wales such as Tintern, Basingwerk and Aberconwy and they were more
popular with the Welsh people. The Cistercian Monks who were pioneers
of sheep farming wore white robes and were known as White Monks.
Most monasteries in Wales were built between 1200 and 1300 and
followed quite similar plans. The heart of the monastery was a church
shaped like a cross. Next to that was the cloister ( a kind of covered
walkway around a rectangular space). Around this would be rooms such
as the chapter house, dormitories and the dining room. The monasteries
followed strict rules but as they became richer so they relaxed some of
their ideas.