Pre-trip work!

 May 26, 2025   Dunfermline Abbey and Palace in Search of St. Margaret

St. Margaret of Scotland has captured my heart. Here is what I have learned about her: 

"St. Margaret of Scotland was a Scottish queen and English princess, known for her devout piety, charitable works, and influence on the Church in Scotland. She lived from 1045 to 1093, was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250, and is commemorated on November 16th.

Key Aspects of St. Margaret of Scotland:
Devout Life:
She was a devout Christian, known for her piety and devotion to prayer and religious practice.

Charitable Works:
She was dedicated to charitable works, particularly helping the poor and needy.

Influence on the Church:
She had a significant impact on the Church in Scotland, promoting Latin as the language of the Mass and encouraging communion during Easter.

Patroness of Scotland:
She is considered a patron saint of Scotland and is known for her kind and caring nature.

Family:
She was married to King Malcolm III of Scotland and had eight children, including future kings of Scotland.

Death and Canonization:
She died in 1093 and was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250."  Google summary

I read somewhere that she saw to the education of all of her 8 children and I interpreted that as "homeschooled" the kids! I would have liked to be a part of her homeschool community! We had seen her chapel inside Edinburgh Castle and now went in search of her abbey in Dunfermline.

Here's what you see as you walk from a city parking lot.

The abbey is in the center of the map.

You enter the church from the other end.  

Here is the layout of the entire complex. Besides the church, much is in ruins. St. Margaret build the area marked by yellow dots in 1070. Her son, David I enlarged the church to the blue dots and built the buildings in the photo in 1128. After Edward I badly damaged the abbey in 1303, Robert I (the Bruce) financed its rebuilding and is buried in the church. The red dots are the area the Church of Scotland uses today while the other half is left a bare shell with a roof over it.

An enlarged key for the picture above.

I am standing in the middle of St. Margaret's original church inside the yellow dots. I am roughly over top where she was originally buried. 

The roof of this space.

When Margaret was declared a saint, they moved her to the very front of the church near the top blue dot where they added a shrine in the above photo and made a beautiful tomb for her. 

All that's left are the two bottom stones. Even the walls are gone. Margaret's remains were whisked away to Spain ahead of the destruction of the abbey.

This entrance is where the rood screen was that separated the public area from the priestly area, not unlike the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. 

Here we are through the doors and seeing the area currently used by the Church of Scotland.

A close up of the pulpit. King Robert the Bruce lies below the pulpit.

The stain glass is from the 1800s.

Now that you have a pretty good idea of the church building, let's look at some fun bits from inside. Ever wonder what King Robert the Bruce looked like?

This photo might be a bit hard to read. It looks blurry to me.

Meet Robert the Bruce

The tomb of Robert the Bruce lies under the pulpit. 

Let's go outside for more of Dunfermline Abbey.

The outside of the church.

The main entrance. You can tell by the different stonework and shapes that it was put together at different times.

How the whole abbey would have looked at its peak.

#4 on the map. The refectory (dining hall).

Another view of the refectory.

A final view of the refectory. The paths and stairs down were blocked off. No one said why, but we suspected the rain had made them slippery. 

The gatehouse.

Some of the cemetery. 

Cute building nearby.

Old town Dunfermline.

Cute tavern. Doesn't everything look like a movie set?

Here we are, home again.