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| Chapter house inside |
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| Chapter house entrance |
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| East Processional Door |
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| The Commemorative Obelisk |
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| Rose Window |
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| Scott's Grave |
We first visited Dryburgh Abbey located near St.Boswells, a Scottish village just beside the
bend of the
Tweed river. Though it is in a ruined state, the available blocks of sculpture
and
walls with
windows gave us a faint idea about the beautiful but not showy construction of
the
abbey. This
abbey was founded on 10th Nov.1150 by the Premonstratensian monks ( a sect of
Augustinians)
on a site made sacred St. Modan (an Irish monk who built a chapel here in 522
A.D.). The
monks from Alnwick founded this abbey on the site owned by Hugh De MoreVille,
father of
one of the assassins of St.Thomas Beckett of Canterbury during the reign of
Henry II of
England
in 1170. In this abbey, the rose window, the cloister, the dormitory,
south east entrance
and
the chapter house ( meeting hall for monks) are still in good condition. The obelisk (a pillar like
structure commemorating the founder , Hugh De Moreville) installed by the Earl of Buchan is also in
structure commemorating the founder , Hugh De Moreville) installed by the Earl of Buchan is also in
good condition.
The English troops of Edward II burnt this
abbey severely in 1322. The Scottish king Robert I
restored and
patronized the abbey. It was again ravaged and burnt in 1385 during the reign
of
Richard II of England. With the support of Scottish
kings the abbey continued functioning till its
final
destruction in 1544. James VI (James I of United Kingdom) gave this abbey to
the Earl of
Mar for maintenance after Scottish reformation in 1560. Later it was bought
by David Erskin,
the Earl of Buchan in 1786. When he died in 1829 he was laid to rest in its sacristy ( an apartment
the Earl of Buchan in 1786. When he died in 1829 he was laid to rest in its sacristy ( an apartment
in a church where sacred utensils and vestments of priests are kept). This property is now managed by
Historic Scotland, an organization that looks after preservation and proper maintenance of Scottish
monuments.
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| James VI |
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| A Book Cupboard |
Though this abbey was not constructed on a
grand scale, the pious and austere lives of monks
rendering service to the community both at mundane and spiritual levels made it a worthy monument
to be remembered as a holy place worth visiting and to feel a sense of devotion.
rendering service to the community both at mundane and spiritual levels made it a worthy monument
to be remembered as a holy place worth visiting and to feel a sense of devotion.
The Gothic
ruins of the abbey are surrounded by yew and cedar trees. Hugh De Moreville,
the
founder of this abbey, later became a novice in
his old age and spent the rest of his life in this abbey
till His death in 1162. The celebrated novelist, Sir Walter Scott, who was the
friend of David Erskin
found his final resting place here in the northern transept. The body
of another Scottish hero,
Field Marshal Douglas Haig was interred beside the tomb of Walter Scott in 1928.
Field Marshal Douglas Haig was interred beside the tomb of Walter Scott in 1928.
Unlike other abbeys this abbey, in spite of
possessing limited funds , survived for a longer
period though
it faced destruction so many times by the English forces. This reputation of
this
abbey spread
far and wide due to the holy writings of Adam Scott who wrote on nature of God
and Biblical
Exegesis. In brief this abbey is a place
of quiet contemplation for medieval monks
who led a
very austere and disciplined life without craving for any trace of luxury and
opulence.
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4th February, 2014 Somaseshu Gutala
