Point 1

Dunfermline Abbey and Palace has a very important place in the history of Scotland. The Abbey and the ruins around it are all that remain of a Benedictine Abbey founded by Queen Margaret in the eleventh century. The foundations of her church are under the present nave built in the twelfth century.

Some of the nation’s greatest kings and queens are laid to rest here, including Robert the Bruce.

There are two parts to the Abbey – the great nave which is the most visually stunning example of Romanesque architecture in Scotland, and the New Abbey Church which was dedicated in 1821 and is still a working church.

When foundation work for the new Abbey Church was being carried out in in 1818 fragments of carved and gilded marble, which were thought to be from the tomb of King Robert the Bruce (who had been buried in the choir of the Old Abbey in 1329) was rediscovered and the remains were carefully reinterred within the new Church.

At this time the design of the tower over the crossing of Nave and Transepts was completely revised by the architect  William Burn to incorporate the words “KING ROBERT THE BRUCE” around the top parapet.

Rober the Bruce’s tomb is marked by a brass plaque gifted by the Earl of Elgin in 1889.

Outside the east gable of the church is the shrine of Queen Margaret who was made a saint after her death for her miracles. After her canonisation Margaret’s remains were moved to an elaborate shrine in a chapel in the original Abbey. When the new Abbey Church was built the shrine was deliberately left outside the building.

Today the abbey complex also includes the ruins of a palace built by King James VI in the 16th century, which became home to his queen, Anna of Denmark. This was the birthplace of Charles I, the last monarch born in Scotland. (See point 9 St Margaret’s Cave for more information on St Margaret).

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dunfermline-abbey-and-palace