The Ardchattan Priory was a

Valliscaulian The Valliscaulian Order was a religious order of the Catholic Church. It was named after ''Vallis Caulium'' or ''Val-des-Choux'', its first monastery, located in Burgundy. The order was founded at the end of the twelfth century and lasted until i ...

monastic community in Ardchattan,

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

, Scotland. It was founded in 1230 by Duncan MacDougal, Lord of Argyll. From the early 14th century, the

Prior of Ardchattan The Prior of Ardchattan (later Commendator of Ardchattan) was the head of the Valliscaulian, and then Cistercian, monastic community of Ardchattan Priory, Argyll. It was founded in 1230 by Duncan MacDougal, Lord of Argyll. In April 1510 it was inc ...

held the chantership of Lismore Cathedral. In April 1510 it was incorporated as a cell of

Beauly Priory Beauly Priory was a Valliscaulian monastic community located at "Insula de Achenbady", now Beauly, Inverness-shire. It was probably founded in 1230. It is not known for certain who the founder was, different sources giving Alexander II of Scotla ...

and may have become Cistercian, but the evidence is slight. It was annexed to the bishopric of the Isles in 1615.

Priory

The surviving elements of the priory buildings comprise remains of the original 13th-century church such as the south transept and its chapels plus traces of 15th and early 16th centuries additions such as the choir, burial aisles and a sacristy. The remains also shelter a number of carved stones. The priory structure, the burial ground and the carved stones have been collectively designated a

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...

Gardens

According to the Ardchattan Priory Gardens website, "''a garden has existed at Ardchattan for over 700 years, since Valliscaulian monks, from a little known order in Burgundy, first settled here, on the north shore of

Loch Etive Loch Etive (Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Eite'') is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km (19 miles) long and from 1.2 km ( mile) to wide. Its ...

. Facing south, with spectacular views over Loch Etive, one can look east to

Ben Cruachan Ben Cruachan ( gd, Cruachan Beann) is a mountain that rises to , the highest in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It gives its name to the Cruachan Dam, a pumped-storage hydroelectric Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric ...

and west to the hills of Mull, the monks chose their site well.''" There are a number of roses in the priory gardens, herbaceous borders, and over thirty varieties of trees. "On entering the garden, shrub walks lead off the main drive. The neutral soil and temperate climate allow a wide variety of plants to thrive: a huge

Cornus kousa ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...

, Eucryphia glutinosa, Hoheria lyalii mingle with scented roses and philadelphus. A wild flower meadow planted under a variety of sorbus trees is a more recent addition. Extensive lawns are bordered by herbaceous beds, roses and a rockery." The gardens are also listed by Historic Environment Scotland because of their high historical, horticultural and scenic value.

Yew Trees

"Ardchattan Priory whose yew trees (

Taxus baccata ''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe (including Britain and Ireland), northwest Africa, northern Iran, and southwest Asia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain ...

), according to other accounts, were inspected by

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

and cut to make at least some of the

longbow A longbow (known as warbow in its time, in contrast to a hunting bow) is a type of tall bow that makes a fairly long draw possible. A longbow is not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow and are circular or D-shaped in cross ...

s used at the Battle of Bannockburn."Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, Volume 62. 2004. Page 35.

Burials

* Séon Carsuel

Bibliography

* Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., ''Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man'', Second Edition, (London, 1976), p. 83 * Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), ''The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries'', The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 10–1

References

{{Reflist

External links

Ardchattan Priory Gardens website
1230 establishments in Scotland Religious organizations established in the 1230s History of Argyll and Bute History of the Scottish Highlands Valliscaulian monasteries Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Christian monasteries established in the 13th century Historic Scotland properties in Argyll and Bute Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Argyll and Bute Former Christian monasteries in Scotland