Melrose Abbey

Melrose Abbey, located in Melrose, Scotland, was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland.

History

There was an earlier monastery dedicated to Saint Aidan built at Melrose in the 6th Century on a site about two miles east of where Melrose abbey now stands. It was destroyed by Kenneth I of Scotland in 839.

Related Topics:
Saint Aidan - 6th Century - Kenneth I of Scotland - 839

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King David I wanted the new abbey to be built on the same site, but the Cistercians insisted that the land was not good enough for farming and instead selected the current site. The abbey became the mother church of the order in Scotland.

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A town slowly grew up around the abbey. In 1322 the town was attacked by the army of Edward II, and much of the abbey was destroyed in the process. It was rebuilt with the help of King Robert the Bruce, whose embalmed heart, encased in lead, is said to have been buried at the abbey.

Related Topics:
1322 - Edward II - Robert the Bruce

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In 1385 the abbey was burned by the army of Richard II of England as he forced the army of David II of Scotland back to Edinburgh. The abbey was rebuilt over a period of about 100 years — construction was still unfinished when James IV visited in 1504.

Related Topics:
1385 - Richard II - David II of Scotland - James IV - 1504

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In 1544, as English armies raged across Scotland in an effort to persuade Scots to allow the infant Mary Queen of Scots to be promised to the son of Henry VIII, the abbey was again badly damaged and was never fully repaired. This led to its decline as a working monastery. The last abbot was James Stuart (the son of James V), who died in 1559. In 1590, Melrose's last monk died.

Related Topics:
1544 - Mary Queen of Scots - Henry VIII - James V - 1559 - 1590

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The abbey withstood one final assault — some of its walls still show the marks of cannon-fire after having been bombarded by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War.

Related Topics:
Oliver Cromwell - English Civil War

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In 1610, a portion of the abbey's church was converted into a parish church for the surrounding town, until 1810 when a new church was erected in the town of Melrose.

Related Topics:
1610 - 1810

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