Robert of Newminster

Saint Robert of Newminster
Relief at the pulpit in the former Cistercian Abbey at Baumgartenberg, Austria
Confessor
Born	c. 1100 Gargrave, North Yorkshire, England
Died	June 7, 1159 Newminster Abbey, Morpeth, Northumberland, England
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Feast	June 7
Attributes	depicted as an abbot holding a church

Robert of Newminster (1100–1159) was a priest, abbot, and a non-canonized saint of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in Gargrave in Yorkshire, England. He was one of the monks who founded Fountains Abbey and is named from the abbey he founded in Morpeth, Northumberland.

Robert was born in the district of Craven, near Skipton in North Yorkshire, probably in the village of Gargrave. He studied at the University of Paris, where he is said to have composed a commentary - since lost - on the Psalms. He became a parish priest, returning to serve Gargrave where he was made rector. He became a Benedictine joining the monks of Saint Mary's Abbey in York. A group of monks, including Robert were expelled from York and established a monastery in a valley near Skeldale, on land given them by Archbishop Thurstan in winter 1132. The first two years were difficult and the monks struggled in extreme poverty. Initially they lived in a makeshift structure on the banks of the River Skell. Despite the hardships, the monks were known for their holiness, austerity and dedication to the strict Benedictine way of life. Their fame brought a new novice, Hugh, Dean of York, who relinquished all his wealth to the community who built more suitable facilities. Because of the many natural springs in the area, the monastery was called Fountains Abbey. Fountains became affiliated with the Cistercian reform which had been introduced by Bernard of Clairvaux.