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10 Interesting Facts About Melrose Abbey

The Ruins of Melrose Abbey. Photo by The Land.

Melrose Abbey is one of the four Abbeys built by King David I of Scotland, though partly ruined it鈥檚 a major tourist attraction due to its marvelous architectural beauty and its鈥� rich history.

It was built along the way to Edinburgh near River Tweed, a disputed boundary region in the old days with England, making it more vulnerable to attacks.

It鈥檚 one of the historical sites with five other abbeys through Scotland on boarders鈥� abbeys way.

1 It was the First Monastery of the Cistercian Orders in Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland

The abbey was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and shares its roots with monastic religious houses in Scotland.

It was the first Cistercian monastery in Scotland built by King David I, on the disputed lands near river Tweed as a way of asserting himself.

The Cistercians was a religious order affiliated with Benedictine monks that controlled churches such as cavers Magna, Danscore Ettrick, and Cans Corey church.

2 It has Been Destroyed Over Four Times and Rebuilt Twice in its 454 Years of Existence

The great abbey church of St Mary the Virgin at Melrose, current Melrose Abbey, loomed large in the lives of many people on both sides of the border of Scotland and England.

Powerful people endowed the abbey richly and it was a highly desirable final resting place for many of them or their kins.

Melrose鈥檚 location, at the boundary, put it on the front line of the conflict with England. During the later Middle Ages, it attacked various rulers of England.

Between 1300 to 1307 it was attacked by King Edward I leaving it in a state of disrepair but before the repair could be done,  it was attacked by his successor King Edward II  in 1322, only to be rebuilt by the order of King Robert the Bruce,  with Sir James Douglas as the principal auditor of finance for the project.

In   1385, the abbey was burned down by the army of Richard II of England, and he forced Robert  II of Scotland back to Edinburg. This attack was fatal and led to a complete rebuilding of the abbey church thus losing major of its original Architecture.

In the 1540s the War of the Rough Wooing  caused further damage and it was left in a state of disrepair

3 It鈥檚 Situated in Melrose Along the River Tweed on the Anglo-Scottish Border

The banks of River Tweed at Abbotsford, near Melrose Abbey. Photo by Finlay McWalter.

 Melrose Abbey is located at the banks of River Tweed, a one hundred and fifty-six kilometers long river that flows east across the border of Scotland and northern England.

It was built along the great northern road to Edinburgh from England, this made it susceptible to attacks by rulers of England during the middle ages, who considered the region a disputed area.

4 It Marks the Starting Point of the 100km St. Cuthberts Way to the Holy Island of the Lindisfarne

The House is a notable starting point of St Cuthbert Journey to his death place, St. Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early church founded in the Celtic tradition.

He was housed at Melrose Abbey, where he began his religious life, as a monk, bishop, and later a hermit.

It is at this time at the house that he made this holy pilgrimage to his initial burial place on Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

During the middle ages, the Celtic Christians often congregated at the house to undertake the pilgrimage journey from Melrose Abbey to Holy Island in his memory.

5 It was founded  by Cistercian Monks at the Request of King David 1 of Scotland

An image Illustration of David I, King of Scots Photo by Alexander Canmore.

It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks at the request of King David 1 of Scotland and was the chief house of that order in that country until the reformation. 

The Cistercian order is a Roman Catholic order founded in 1098 and named after the original establishment at C卯teaux (Latin: Cistercium), a locality in Burgundy, near Dijon, France.

The order鈥檚 founders lived a solitary life under the guidance of the strictest interpretation of the Rule of St. Benedict.

King David 1 of Scotland set up the abbey as a way to show both his piety and his power, over the contested border territory with Anglo-Saxons where the abbey was built.

 6 It was Headed by the Abbot or the Commentator of Melrose

The Commentators of Melrose were the head of the monastic community of Melrose abbey.

In 1136, the second abbey was founded on the patronage of David King of Scots by Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire in the 16th century control of the abbey was securitized,   held by the commentators after the accession of James Stewart.    

James    Douglas of Lochleven was the last commentator, and he resigned the abbacy to William Douglas, 6^th Earl of Morton in December 1606, and the abbey itself to the king in 1608.

7 It鈥檚 the Burial Place of Sir Robert the Bruce Heart and Alexander II

A painting of Sir Robert Bruce the First. Photo by Cornelius Johnson.

 An embalmed heart of Sir Robert  Bruce the First is believed to have been found below the Chapter House Site.

Its position was marked by a small metal plaque an archaeological excavation was done in on the site in 1996 and unearthed a conical lead container and engraved copper plaque that read 鈥淭he enclosed leaden casket containing a heart was found beneath   Chapter   House Floor, March 1921, by His Majesty鈥檚 Office of works.

8 It鈥檚 re-known for its Ancient Architectural  and Beauty

A view of Unique Architecture at Melrose Abbey from the East End Window Photo by Pamela Adam from Aberdeen, Scotland.

The present building of rose-colored stone dates back to the post-1385 rebuilding. Yet Melrose is still considered one of the most magnificent examples of medieval church architecture anywhere in the British Isles.

Some of the intact features include the presbytery at the east end, where the high altar once stood, the monks鈥� choir and transepts, and part of the nave.
The exterior is decorated with some of the most fascinating sculptures found in any medieval church building.

It is known for its man-curved decorative details including a likeness of the saints, dragons, gargoyles, and plants.

The exterior is decorated with most fascinating sculptures such as demons and hobgoblins, lute-playing angels, cooks with ladles, and the famous bagpipe-playing pig.

The interior highlights include the ornate stone vaulting over the presbyter, the elegant piers, and the window tracery.

On the stairways, there is an inscription by John Merow, a master mason which says: 鈥�Be halde, to ya hende鈥� simply meaning –keep in mind, the end of salvation.

9 Its Construction Took Over 50 Years

It was constructed in a Gothic manner in the form, of St John鈥榮 cross. The monastery lies from East to West.

The east end of the abbey was completed in 1146, and over 50 years other buildings in the complex were added.

Currently the building other than the foundation, the entire west section is absent while the eastern section is intact. While the south and southeast served as graveyards of the locals.

10 It鈥檚 One of the Leading  Tourist Attraction Sites in Scotland

Melrose Abbey is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Scotland, the history of Melrose Abbey and its religious affiliation make it also a pilgrimage site among the Celtic Christians.

It has a high quality of the carving what makes Melrose so enjoyable today is an elegant array of carvings from flowers, fruit, and foliage to humorous human figures and strange beasts.

The house is among two hundred sites that are run by Historic Environment Scotland.