Monymusk Priory facts for kids
Monymusk Priory was an old religious building in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was home to a group of Augustinian canons. Canons were like priests who lived together in a community. The priory started as a place for a different group called the Culdees. Later, it changed to follow the Augustinian rules.
Contents
The Priory's History
Early Beginnings
The first religious people to arrive in Monymusk were the Culdees. They might have come from a place called Whithorn. An old stone from the 800s, called a Pictish stone, was found nearby. You can see it today at the Church of the Blessed Mary in Monymusk.
Around 1130, the Culdees were given land in Monymusk. This was probably for a religious group that was already living there. They had special rights. They could have a place to sleep (a dormitory) and a dining hall (a refectory). They also had a small chapel (an oratory) and could be buried in the local cemetery.
Building the Church
A beautiful church was finished in the mid-1100s. It was built in the Romanesque style. This style uses thick walls and round arches. Gille Críst, who was the leader of Mar, built a monastery there. This happened in the late 1100s.
The church was used for two main things. It was a local church for people living nearby. It was also the main church for the canons. The canons used the very long front part of the church, called the chancel.
Life as an Augustinian Priory
By 1245, the religious community had fully changed. It became an Augustinian priory. It had a leader called a Prior and eleven canons. The priory was a busy place. It had a school for learning. There were three gardens where food was grown. It also had a small farm (a croft) and places for animals to graze. There were many buildings for the monks to live and work in. They even had a pond for fish!
There were also two small chapels (oratories) about two miles away from the main priory.
Control and Decline
The St Andrews Cathedral Priory had some control over Monymusk Priory. But the bishops of St Andrews and Aberdeen often argued. They both wanted to be in charge. For a while, Monymusk Priory also looked after the Monymusk Reliquary. This was a special container for holy items.
By the early 1500s, the priory started to have problems. The last religious Prior, David Farlie, was replaced. A new leader, John Elphinstone, took over in 1542. He was a lay commendator, meaning he was not a religious person.
In 1554, a fire badly damaged the priory. The canons did not have enough money to rebuild it. Around 1587, the Forbses used stones from the old priory. They used them to build the House of Monymusk, which you can see today. In 1617, the priory's land became part of the bishopric of Dunblane. The church itself, however, kept serving the local people.
See also
- Prior of Monymusk, for a list of priors and commendators
