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Friday, January 19, 2007

Crossraguel Abbey, by Maybole, Ayrshire
















South of the town of Ayr in Scotland lie the ruins of Crossraguel Abbey.

Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick, founded the Abbey in 1244.

Crossraguel was a Cluniac abbey and the monks - members of a branch of the Benedictines - were known as the "Black monks" after the colour of their clothes.

At the Scottish reformation, the Scots Parliament passed an Act in 1560 abolishing the Mass and dissolving the old order.

Crossraguel's life as an active religious community came to an end. The last abbot, Quintin Kennedy, died in 1564.

The interesting point about the ruins of the abbey is their completeness. They show practically the whole layout of the old monastery whilst other ruined abbeys in Scotland show only a small part of what they once were. It is easy to trace the chapter house, the sacristry, the refectory, the cloisters, et cetera.

References:

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossraguel_Abbey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbot_of_Crossraguel

Historic Scotland
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/properties_sites_detail.htm?propertyID=PL_079

Crossraguel Abbey
http://www.maybole.org/places/crossraguel/abbey.htm

Maybole, Carrick's Capital Facts, Fiction & Folks by James T. Gray, Alloway Publishing, Ayr. First published 1972.
http://www.maybole.org/history/books/CarricksCapital/carrickscapital.htm

Undiscovered Scotland
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/maybole/crossraguel/index.html

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