Melrose Abbey
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Melrose Abbey, located in Melrose, Scotland, was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland.
The east end of the abbey was completed in 1146 — other buildings in the complex were added over the next 50 years. The abbey was built in the form of a St. John's cross (a Gothic style of architecture). A considerable portion of the abbey is now in ruins, though a structure dating from 1590 is maintained as a museum open to the public.
Alexander II and other Scottish kings and nobles are buried at the abbey. The embalmed heart of Robert the Bruce is also said to rest on the abbey's grounds, having been brought back from the Crusades. In 1812, a stone coffin that some speculated was that of Michael Scot the philosopher and "wizard", was found in an aisle in the abbey's south chancel.
The abbey today is maintained by Historic Scotland. It is known for its many carved decorative details, including likenesses of saints, dragons, gargoyles and plants. On one of the abbey's stairways is an inscription by John Morow, a master mason, that says: "Be halde to ye hende" (Keep in mind, the end, your salvation), which has become the town of Melrose's motto.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
