Melrose Abbey in Scotland is located in the Scottish Borders in a city of the same name. Virtually all historical buildings found on the borders (the border area between England and Scotland) have been destroyed many times by the British. Melrose AB is no exception.
It is significant that although it was destroyed and now only the ruins remain, many ornamental parts still remain. Like gargoyles and gothic rose windows.
This abbey is said to be one of the many reasons it is said to host the heart of the famous King Robert Bruce of medieval Scotland. Other medieval Scottish kings were buried here.
History of Melrose Abbey
Let’s start from the beginning, the Abbey was built in 1100 by Cistercian monks under the command of King David I. It was situated in the same place as another monastery, one dedicated to St. Ayadano di Lindstern.
Cistercian Abbey was followed by the city of Melrose, being an important religious center, with no shortage of trade.
The abbey was almost destroyed and rebuilt by the English king Edward I in 1322. It was later set ablaze by Richard II and rebuilt for over 100 years. It was again damaged by English soldiers in 1544 when the British wanted Mary to marry the son of Queen Henry VIII.
After this incident, the Abbey was never restored and was never functioning monastery again. Later it was further damaged by the cannon fire of Oliver Cromwell’s army.
In the end, poor Abhay did not manage to stand for long.
[su_panel background=”#f5d7eb” border=”4px solid #cccccc” shadow=”2px 1px 2px #eeeeee” radius=”6″]Apart from visiting the ruins you can also start doing here St. Cuthbert’s Road, A passage leading to the Lindisserne Monastery in Northumberland. This was the route taken by St. Cuthbert from the old monastery of Melrose in 650. In all it will be about 100 km, but you do not need to do all this. It still crosses some very beautiful landscapes. [/su_panel]
Melrose itself is a nice little town, even if it does not have any memorabilia.
How to get Melrose AB?
If you are not fond of the ruined Abbey in Scotland, you probably will not come on purpose but Abhay will be part of the tour of the beautiful Scottish Borders. But if you want to go there for the purpose, then you have to take a train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank and from there take bus 69 to Melrose.