 Melrose Abbey
By the middle of the 7th century St Aidan had established a
monastery at Old Melrose beside the River Tweed, and one of its early
priors was the renowned St Cuthbert. Two hundred years later the monastery
had been destroyed. In the 12th century David I asked a group
of Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey to establish their first Scottish
house on this hallowed site. Eventually they settled a few miles west
of Old Melrose, but Melrose Abbey was founded in 1136.
As a much-favoured house in the Borders, Melrose Abbey was granted generous endowments and rights, becoming
one of the wealthiest medieval monasteries in Scotland. On the other hand,
because of its vulnerable position close to the English border, it suffered
disastrously in times of unrest. The first abbey church erected appeared
to be modelled on its mother house at Rievaulx and was built in the traditionally
simplistic style of the early Cistercians.
Little evidence of this church
now exists. From the beginning of the 14th century Melrose
Abbey was subjected to raids, many of the monks were slaughtered, and
finally the church was burned to the ground. Even after the construction
of the elaborate new church in the 15th century it was not
to be left in peace, and the attack in 1545 left the abbey church and many
of the monastic buildings badly damaged.
What remains of the beautiful
dusky-pink sandstone monument is quite substantial and utterly breathtaking.
In complete contrast to the plain, stark lines of their first church,
the Cistercian monks at Melrose Abbey excelled themselves with such a magnificent
quality of workmanship that it remains unequalled for this period. Even
in its ruinous state so much of the rich decoration has survived, and
there is an abundance of corbels and gargoyles left in situ, some quite
amusing. Construction of the new church at Melrose Abbey spanned two centuries,
and the changing styles during this period are most clearly reflected
in the window tracery. The elegant east window displays the very English
Perpendicular trend, whereas the beautiful window in the south transept
follows more of a free-style French influence.
After the Reformation in
1560 Melrose Abbey was allowed to fall into further decay, and much
of the exquisite decoration was quarried away. Sir Walter Scott was
accused of being one of the main 'robbers', quarrying away huge quantities
of stone, timber, lead and glass from the fabric of the monastery. Despite
the ever-increasing deterioration, the abbey church continued to be
used by the local parishioners until the early 19th century,
at which time a new parish church was built making Melrose Abbey finally redundant.
Today we see the site split
by a modern road that runs across the length of the Lay Brothers' Range.
The church, cloister, and foundations of the claustral buildings occupy
one side of the road and, on the other, a large part of the Lay Brothers'
Range, the site of the Abbot's Hall, the main drainage system and the
Commendator's House can be seen. This 15th century converted
residence now houses a museum containing a splendid collection of artefacts
excavated during the 20th century. One fascinating object uncovered
in the chapter house, during excavations in 1921, was a lead casket holding
the mummified heart of a human. As the chapter house was the usual burial
place for patrons of the abbey, and it was known to be the wish of Robert
the Bruce to have his heart interred at Melrose Abbey, there is good reason
to assume that this was indeed his heart. |
