The Corpus of ROMANESQUE SCULPTURE in Britain & Ireland
Santa Maria in Petra Fertilis (medieval)
Cistercian House, former
The plan of the abbey church is a reduced version of the usual Cistercian scheme. There is an aisled nave, although the arcades are not symmetrical and there is some doubt as to whether the N aisle was ever completed. Each transept has only one chapel and there is a two-bay, rib-vaulted chancel.
The S transept chapel is barrel vaulted with a plain round-headed E window.
The quality of the carving in the E end of the church is good, but it dimishes westwards. The church was shortened during the later Middle Ages by the insertion of a wall that was surmounted by a tower. The upper walls were also remodelled during this period. The buildings of the E range and some ruinous structures in the outer precincts, including the gatehouse, remain.