Edinburgh
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Edinburgh Town Guide, Holyrood Abbey, 6K

Now just a ruin in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Holyrood Abbey was an Augustinian monastery founded by King David I in 1128.


Edinburgh Town Guide, Holyrood Abbey, 1K Legend has it that whilst out hunting one day, David was attacked by a stag and thrown from his horse. However he was saved when a cross, or "rood", appeared in his hand.

In order to thank God for saving his life David founded the Abbey, naming it after the "rood" that saved him.

For several hundred years the Abbey was a thriving monastery. However, the decline of the Abbey began in the 16th century when it was attacked by the English in 1547. Then it fell victim to the reformation with many parts of the Abbey being destroyed.

Efforts were made to rebuild it in the 18th century, but these weren't successful and so the Abbey was left in ruins.

Most of the remains that you can see today date from the 13th and 14th centuries, the only surviving part of David's original Abbey being a doorway in one corner.




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