Jump to content

Crossraguel Abbey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Diderot (talk | contribs) at 17:38, 18 October 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Crossraguel Abbey is a ruin of a former abbey near the town of Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland.

Founded in 1244 by Duncan, Earl of Carrick following a donation to a group of monks in Paisley for that purpose. They reputedly built nothing more than a small chapel and kept the balance for themselves. The earl took the matter to the Bishop of Glasgow for arbitration and, winning his case, forced the monks to build a proper abbey. The origin of the abbey's name is unclear but may refer to the ancient Cross of Riaghail (St Regulus) that stood on the spot. 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.

Crossraguel was sacked in 1307 by the army of Edward I. It was rebuilt on a larger scale and remained a monastery until 1560, when the Reformation ended monastic institutions in Scotland. Some of the stone has been removed for local construction, but the abbey is, all things considered, relatively intact today.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Crossraguel_Abbey&oldid=25843422"