- Inchcolm Abbey
Infobox monastery
name= Inchcolm Abbey
order= Augustinian
founder=David I of Scotland & Gregoir,Bishop of Dunkeld
established=1147 x1169 (priory)/1235 (abbey)
mother= none
disestablished=1609
diocese=Diocese of Dunkeld
churches= Aberdour; Auchtertool; Beath; Dalgety; Dollar; Leslie; Rosyth
people=Walter Bower Inchcolm Abbey is a medieval abbey located on the island of
Inchcolm in theFirth of Forth inScotland . The Abbey, which is located at the centre of the island, was in the 12th century during the episcopate of Gregoir,Bishop of Dunkeld . Later tradition placed it back in the reign of KingAlexander I of Scotland (1107-24), who probably had some involvement in the island. He was apparently washed ashore there after a shipwreck in1123 , and took shelter in ahermit 's hovel.The Abbey was first used as a priory by
Augustinian canons regular , becoming a full abbey in1235 . The island was attacked by the English from 1296 onwards, and the Abbey was abandoned after the ScottishReformation in1560 . It has since been used for defensive purposes, as it is situated in a strategically important position in the middle of the Firth of Forth. A medieval inscription carved above the Abbey's entrance reads: "Stet domus haec donec fluctus formica marinos ebibat, et totum testudo permabulet orbem" 'May this house stand until an ant drains the flowing sea, and a tortoise walks around the whole world'.Inchcolm Abbey has the most complete surviving remains of any Scottish monastic house. The cloisters, chapter house, warming house, and refectory are all complete, and most of the remaining claustral buildings survive in a largely complete state. The least well-preserved part of the complex is the monastic church. The ruins are cared for by
Historic Scotland , which also maintains a visitor centre near the landing pier (entrance charge; ferry fromSouth Queensferry ).Inchcolm Antiphoner
The Abbey gives its name to the 14th century manuscript referred to as the Inchcolm
Antiphoner . It contains one of the few remaining examples of Celtic Plainchant, Pages of the Antiphoner can be accessed online in facsimile from Edinburgh University [http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk/lib/about/bgallery/Gallery/researchcoll/14thcentury.html] .The Antiphoner contains a substantial number of chants dedicated to
Saint Columba . While these may derive from a variety of other monastic foundations with Columban associations, such asOronsay Priory orIona , Inchcolm is considered the most likely source of the manuscript's compilation, if not composition.ee also
*
Abbot of Inchcolm , for a list of priors and abbots of the community
*Walter Bower , the most famous abbot
*Abbeys and priories in Scotland , for a general list of Scottish monasteriesExternal links
* [http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/op_ourproperties_searchdetail?id=90166 Historic Scotland's page on the abbey]
* [http://www.cyberscotia.com/inchcolm/ Cyberscotia's page on the island] - including maps, drawings, and photographs
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