The Abbess: A Romance is a gothic novel by William Henry Ireland first published in 1799. The text was modelled upon Matthew Lewis's The Monk (1796). The eponymous central character, Mother Vittoria Bracciano, is similar to that of "Monk" Lewis's Ambrosio, as she is likewise motivated by dark and powerful forces. The novel is one of the most voluptuous and salacious gothic novels in terms of its graphic scenes of sex, Roman Catholic religious fervour and torture.