Melrose Abbey, in the heart of the beautiful Scottish Border country, was founded in the twelfth century by the Cistercian order of monks. They were drawn to this fertile spot beside the River Tweed through its intimate associations with the holy men St Aidan and St Cuthbert. The Abbey grew to be one of the most wealthiest and most majestic medieval monasteries of Scotland, and its abbey church is one of the finest expressions of the order’s ‘architecture of solitude’.*
*From the Historic Scotland guidebook to Melrose Abbey
What a beautiful place Cherie. Must have been a magnificent building in it’s days.
We can only wonder in our minds at the immensity of the Abbey before it fell into decline.
Great photos of a splendid place. I love the term “architecture of solitude”. I always wonder how the medieval period could achieve such beautiful buildings considering the limited tools on hand at the time.
I think we have lost some of the skills that our medieval ancestors knew. Our modern technology is fascinating but it provides a virtual world rather than a physical world.
Be halde to ye hende. : )
I had to Google search that
I didn’t know of the inscription or that it had become a motto of the Town of Melrose.
Thank you for educating me
Do you think they should rebuild this church?
Most of it is still pretty intact.
It just needs a new roof!
Funny you should mention that… There was scaffolding along one of the walls of the Abbey when we visited