Dundrennan Abbey

Dumfries and Galloway

Now a ruin, the 12th-century Dundrennan Abbey was home to a community of Cistercian monks for 400 years. Mary Queen of Scots spent her last hours in Scotland here in May 1568, after the disastrous Battle of Langside. The upstanding abbey ruins comprise some of the most important and invaluable medieval ecclesiastical architecture surviving in Scotland, enabling us to understand better the architectural transition from Romanesque to Gothic, and the move by the Cistercians themselves away from an austere design philosophy towards a more elaborate one. On the site, you can see how various influences have combined to create this stunning abbey.

• See the north and south transepts, the best-preserved late 12th-century Cistercian architecture in Scotland
• Relax and reflect on the Cistercian ideal amidst the peaceful beauty of this special setting
• Step inside our stone store to see the abbey’s carved stone collection

For Doors Open Days join us for soap carving! Test your budding stone masonry skills by carving a soap with any design you like - will you one day be carving stone at abbeys like this? 

There will also be ad hoc guided tours by the site team throughout the days.

Facilities

• WC
• Parking
• Limited Access