Convent of Mercy (Elgin)

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Convent of Mercy

The Convent of Mercy is a monastery in the small Scottish town of Elgin in the Council Area Moray . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A. The associated monastery chapel is classified separately as a Category A building.

history

The current complex was built in 1479 as a Franciscan monastery . As a result of the Scottish Reformation , the monastery was dissolved in 1560 and became part of the Scottish Crown. Towards the end of the century, the buildings were used as a judicial building and a trading post. As Provost of Elgin, William King and his descendants used the former monastery as a mansion from 1684 .

The building was abandoned around 1800 and fell into disrepair as it was vacant. In 1818 it came into the possession of the Stewarts , who transferred it to Leslie of Kinninvie . He sold the ruins to the local Sisters of Mercy community in 1891 . Up until this point in time, they used a spatially inadequate St. Mary's Church, which is no longer preserved today. Lacking the financial means to rebuild, John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute , bought the ruins in 1895. He entrusted John Kinross with the restoration of the buildings. In order to enable the reconstruction to be as true to the original as possible, he first visited various Franciscan institutions and then essentially oriented himself to King's College in Aberdeen .

After the death of Crichton-Stuart, his third son Lord Colum took over the work. Together with Kinross, the restoration was completed by 1908 and the building was handed over to the Sisters of Mercy. They used the monastery until 2010. After their departure, the Bishop of Aberdeen offered the monastery to the American Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia , who have been using it since 2013.

description

The Convent of Mercy is on Greyfriars Street in downtown Elgin. The complex has an H-shaped floor plan with a U-shaped part of the building continuing on the south side. Its masonry consists of quarry stone with natural stone surrounds. The roofs with their three dormers are covered with slate from Caithness .

The masonry and roof of the chapel are similar to those of the monastery. A wide tracery is embedded in the east gable .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ a b c Entry on Convent of Mercy  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 57 ° 38 ′ 52 "  N , 3 ° 18 ′ 34.2"  W.