Abbot Huby’s great tower at Fountains Abbey is one of the most impressive Cistercian monuments of the later Middle Ages, albeit a tricky monument to interpret. While its formidable scale underlines the status of the abbot and his monastery, the sheer size of the tower raises questions about the priorities of the Cistercians at this time. This could surely be regarded as a costly ‘superfluity’, the type of thing the order had tried to avoid in earlier centuries. It is no surprise that Huby’s tower has been taken as a sign of decadence and religious decline.

In his study of Cistercian art and architecture, however, Michael Carter takes a different view, arguing that the tower should be interpreted ‘within the context of the abbot’s dedication to his Order, his deeply rooted Cistercian identity, and his tireless efforts as a reformer’. Carter argues that the liturgical inscriptions that embellish the tower demonstrate Huby’s credentials as a reforming abbot and his concern for rigorous monastic observance. This apologia is very much in line with recent scholarship, one that seeks to convey a more positive assessment of English monasticism in the pre-Reformation era.

Given the pioneering achievements of the Cistercians in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the order’s subsequent activities have, understandably, attracted relatively little attention. Michael Carter’s assiduous work in redressing the balance is thus welcome. His principal aim (and achievement) is to reveal the extent of Cistercian investment in both buildings and works of art in the north of England (effectively within the archdiocese of York) and to demonstrate that these were not necessarily the products of moribund establishments. Whereas the existing literature has generally been fragmented, concerned either with the history of individual abbeys or just one sphere of activity, Carter has taken a more universal approach, surveying not just architecture but all types of artistic production – painting, sculpture, manuscript illumination, stained glass and metalwork. In the latter context it is worth noting that, at the dissolution, plate worth over £509 was removed from the church at Fountains. The author has become well known in the ‘Cistercian field’; it should be noted that much of what he has to say has been in print for some time.

The volume begins with a brief survey of what survives and what is known from documentary sources. Highlights include the choir stalls and vestments from Whalley, as well as part of a screen from Jervaulx. In an architectural context new works include the great towers at Fountains and Furness, as well as a number of impressive gatehouses. Several churches were remodelled or rebuilt and almost everywhere there were modifications to domestic ranges, many prompted by the need to adapt buildings formerly occupied by the lay brothers. In a few cases glazing was added to the cloister, a topic that gets just a passing mention.

There follows a chapter devoted to patronage, both internal and external. This includes an interesting discussion of the power and resources of Cistercian abbots. Technically, abbots did not have a free hand, having to account for expenditure to bursars and other senior officers, but it was the abbot who took the lead in major operations and took the credit when it came to the display of heraldry and initials. As Carter points out, funds usually came from the abbey’s resources not those of the abbot, however prominent the abbot’s insignia may have been.

The next chapter considers the relationship between art, architecture and religious identity, and here the author enters controversial territory. Artistic commissions reflect the Christ-centric nature of Cistercian observance, along with devotion to the Virgin Mary, as well as local saints. While admitting that there was nothing uniquely Cistercian in this, the author concludes that ‘widespread and sustained investment in religious art’ in Cistercian houses ‘demonstrates the religious vitality of the Order in the late Middle Ages’. The problem here is the meaning of the author’s oft-repeated term ‘religious vitality’. As every art historian knows, the production of outstanding religious art is not necessarily an indication of piety or religious discipline, even if that was the impression patrons were anxious to create. Moreover, as Carter freely admits, the choice of imagery followed conventional patterns, what he terms the ‘mainstream’, another concept that deserves more careful consideration.

A further chapter, devoted to death and commemoration, includes a useful account of the increase in the amount of lay burial. The desire of local gentry to be buried in Cistercian houses is taken as ‘a statement of confidence in the spiritual health of the Order’. On the whole, funeral monuments in Cistercian houses are modest, but there is one major exception, the remarkable carved tomb chest at Holm Cultram, where Abbot Robert is shown flanked by monks praying for his soul.

Then comes a chapter devoted to Cistercian nunneries, approximately fifteen in number; most were relatively poor but in artistic terms there were some individual highlights. Nun Appleton, for example, had a retable worth £27 and at Swine there is a fine set of choir stalls, complete with misericords, along with impressive wooden screens. The prioress at Nun Appleton evidently slept in some style, having been given a canopied bed with curtains, as well as a bed with tapestry hangings. In general, the dearth of documentation makes it hard to form much impression of the life of the nuns, though it is clear that individual houses were well regarded by at least some of the local populace. The author suggests that nuns were generally literate, though the evidence cited for Rosedale is somewhat stretched, the author basing his case on the phrase ‘omnia vanitas’, inscribed on a lintel that may not even be medieval. A brief final chapter outlines the practical consequences of the suppression and the amount of destruction involved. Once demolition had begun, local communities, hitherto loyal to the monastery, were not averse to scavenging amidst the ruins.

On several occasions we are warned not to judge Cistercian achievements through the prism of the past, since the social, religious and economic environment in the later Middle Ages was completely different. In some ways this rather misses the point. In artistic matters the Cistercian order had lost its identity; architectural projects tended to involve piecemeal adaptation rather than bold new undertakings. In the twelfth century it was the energy and ideals of the order that made it such a powerful force, and comparison with the past seems valid enough. Gone were the days when the construction of Cistercian abbeys set new standards for monastic architecture throughout the land. It is worth noting, however, that the order still exerted some influence. In 1533 the Lady Chapel at Whalley was used as a model for the design of the aisles in the nearby parish church at Burnley, one of many interesting pieces of information that Carter has gathered up from his wide knowledge of the sources. It is fair to say, however, that some of the issues raised in the book deserved more thought, not least the relationship between art and religion. Given the breadth of the study, anyone seeking greater understanding of particular monastic sites or works of art might find themselves looking elsewhere.