Abbey - Wikipedia An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns
Abbey | Definition, History, Arrangement, Examples | Britannica abbey, group of buildings housing a monastery or convent, centred on an abbey church or cathedral, and under the direction of an abbot or abbess In this sense, an abbey consists of a complex of buildings serving the needs of a self-contained religious community
The Layout of a Medieval Abbey - World History Encyclopedia An abbey was an impressive feature of the local landscape since it was one of the wealthiest and most powerful institutions in the medieval world Abbeys were one of the few building types constructed in stone and made to large dimensions