Balmerino Monastery
| Cistercian Abbey of Balmerino | |
|---|---|
| location |
 United Kingdom of Scotland
|
| Coordinates: | 56 ° 24 '35.7 " N , 3 ° 2' 31.4" W |
| Serial number according to Janauschek |
605 |
| Patronage | St. Edward |
| founding year | 1229 |
| Year of dissolution / annulment |
1607 |
| Mother monastery | Melrose Monastery |
| Primary Abbey | Clairvaux Monastery |
|
Daughter monasteries |
no |
The Balmerino Monastery ( English Balmerino Abbey ) is a former Cistercian monastery in the Scottish village of Balmerino . It is about eight kilometers west of Newport-on-Tay across from Dundee , on the south side of the Firth of Tay .
history
The monastery was founded in 1229 by the royal widow Ermengarde de Beaumont and her son King Alexander II of Scotland . Ermengarde planned the foundation probably since 1225 with the intention of securing a burial place. After her death in 1233 she was buried in front of the high altar. Balmerino Abbey was a subsidiary of Melrose Abbey , which in turn was a subsidiary of Clairvaux Primary Abbey . In 1547 it was burned down by English troops and again in 1559 by Scottish Protestants. Around 1606 it became secular rule for James Elphinstone, the first Lord Balmerino . The facility is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland .
Buildings and plant
Only the chapter house, the parlatorium and the sacristy as well as parts of the wall of the north church transept and the north wall of the nave are visible above ground. The complete plan of the church was uncovered during excavations in 1896. Further excavations and prospecting on the grounds of the abbey and its surroundings took place between 2006 and 2010 as part of the Balmerino Abbey Special Survey Project.
literature
- James Campbell, Balmerino and Its Abbey: A Parish History with Notices of the Adjacent District William Blackwells and Sons, Edinburgh / London 1899. - Digitized.
- Ian B. Cowan, David E. Easson: Medieval Religious Houses Scotland. With an appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man. 2nd edition. Longman, London et al. 1976, ISBN 0-582-12069-1 , pp. 72 f.
- David Robinson (Ed.): The Cistercian Abbeys of Britain. Far from the Concourse of Men. Batsford, London 1997, ISBN 0-7134-8392-X , pp. 65f.
- Donald ER Watt, Norman F. Shead (ed.): The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries (= Scottish Record Society. New Series 24). Scottish Record Society, Edinburgh 2001, ISBN 0-902054-18-X , p. 12 ff.
Web links
- Balmerino Abbey in Undiscovered Scotland (English)
- Entry for Balmerino Monastery in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland database