Balmerino Abbey - Fife, Scotland.
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creg-ny-baa
N 56° 24.591 W 003° 02.503
30V E 497425 N 6251697
The ruins of the 13th Cistercian abbey in the Fife village of Balmerino, now in care of the National Trust for Scotland.
Waymark Code: WM10TF6
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/22/2019
Views: 2
In 1229, Queen Ermengarde, the widow of William the Lion and mother of Alexander II, invited the Cistercians at Melrose Abbey to set up a daughter-house at Balmerino on the southern shore of the Firth of Tay in the Kingdom of Fife. The abbey was eventually completed around the turn of the 14th century and was built in red sandstone.
The abbey was attacked and burned by the English Army under the Earl of Hertford in 1547, but was soon repaired. However it suffered far worse damage during the reformation in 1559 and like many religious buildings in Scotland, ended up in ruins, with much of its stonework being plundered and ending up being used in the building of nearby houses.
Restoration work was carried out in 1910 and in 1936 the Earl of Dundee donated the ruins to the National Trust for Scotland.
Much of the remains are from the walls and vaulting of the sacristy, chapter house and parlour, with the site of the alter and Queen Ermangarde's grave marked by a large wooden cross. Most of the ruins are in an unstable state and visitors are kept back from them by fencing around the site. No charge is paid on entry but an honesty box is kept at the entrance.