 The construction began in 1181 . The monastic quarters and the church were built over the following three decades . The central cloister was bordered on the north by the church , on the west by a barrel @-@ vaulted great nave , on the east by the sacristy , the priory cell , and the chapter house , and on the south by the kitchen , the pantry and the refectory ( dining hall ) . Some of the buildings were given seven @-@ foot @-@ thick ( 2 m ) walls with slit windows , to serve as a refuge in case the Moors returned to the area . The church was built in the shape of a Latin cross with a nave divided into four sections , and a sanctuary with three square apses . Its presbytery had a central square topped by a pentagon . 
