Building record MAB6718 - GREYFRIAR'S MONASTERY, ELGIN
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Summary
Church and Convent.
Protected Status/Designation
- Listed Building (A) 30681
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NJ 2196 6273 (150m by 131m) Centred at - Polygon: Known Site Extent |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NJ26SW |
| Authority | Moray |
| Civil Parish | Elgin |
Type and Period (6)
- GRAVESTONE (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
- WELL (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
- CLOISTER (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
- MONASTERY (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
- CHURCH (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
- Convent (12th Century to 19th Century - 1100 AD to 1899 AD)
Full Description
Church and Convent. It was a house of Observantine Franciscan friars, founded in Elgin in 1479 (see NJ26SW0008 for earlier site of Greyfriars Monastery). It then passed into the possession of the burgh in circa 1559, and was used as a court of justice from 1563, but the building was somewhat neglected and left to decay. In 1895, the church was restored by architect John Kinross, when the convent buildings, grouped round a court to the South, were rebuilt on the old foundations, incorporating some fragments of old work. The monastery has been in the hands of the Elgin Community of the Sisters of Mercy since 1891. The convent, or monastery, has a well built in the cloister complex, and a well in the centre of the quadrangle. The buildings are constructed in rubble with ashlar dressings. The monastery is oblong and aisleless, and is orientated East-West. There are large Y-tracery windows in the end gables, and narrower windows in the side walls. There are three small ogee-headed windows high at the East end of the South wall. There is a moulded eaves course with cast-iron fretted frieze, and a Caithness slate roof. All the interior fittings, including the barrel vaulted wooden ceiling, large rood screen, and carved oak choir stalls are from 1896. There are 18th century gravestones of the King family of Lesmurdie. A crucifix recovered from a church in Verdun, France, destroyed during World War I was given to the convent in 1917. When the Sisters of Mercy left Greyfriars in September 2010 the crucifix was placed in the charge of Elgin Museum.
Period Notes
Founded in 1479. It was devastated by the Earl of Huntly in 1560 and passed to the burgh in circa 1559, becoming a court of justice from 1563. It was left to decay, and in 1895 the church and convent was restored. Listed designation given on 26/01/1971.
DSCN1779, 1780, DSCN1779, 1780 (Ground Photograph). SAB36075.
SHAW, L, 1882, HIST OF PROV OF MORAY II, 26 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1627.
MACGIBBON, T, 1896, ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND 1, 356-358 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1141.
CANT, RG, 1954, OLD ELGIN, 14,15 (Bibliographic reference). SAB217.
EASSON, D, 1957, MEDIEVAL RELIGIOUS HOUSES: SCOTLAND, 109,111 (Bibliographic reference). SAB440.
Sep 17 2016 , AAS-GR-16-09-232 - 281, AAS-GR-16-09-232 - 281 (Ground Photograph). SAB35658.
Other Statuses/References
- Authority: MOR;
- HES Listed Building Number: 30681;
- NMR Card Number: NJ26SW11;
- NRHE Numlink: 16604;
- Old Historic Environment Record Ref: NJ26SW0011;
External Links (2)
- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB30681 (Historic Environment Scotland Portal Link)
- https://www.trove.scot/place/16604 (trove.scot link)
Sources/Archives (6)
- --- SAB1141 Bibliographic reference: MACGIBBON, T. 1896. ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND 1. N. Y. 356-358.
- --- SAB1627 Bibliographic reference: SHAW, L. 1882. HIST OF PROV OF MORAY II. Y. 26.
- --- SAB217 Bibliographic reference: CANT, RG. 1954. OLD ELGIN. Y. 14,15.
- --- SAB35658 Ground Photograph: Sep 17 2016 . AAS-GR-16-09-232 - 281. Digital. AAS-GR-16-09-232 - 281.
- --- SAB36075 Ground Photograph: DSCN1779, 1780. Digital. DSCN1779, 1780.
- --- SAB440 Bibliographic reference: EASSON, D. 1957. MEDIEVAL RELIGIOUS HOUSES: SCOTLAND. 109,111.
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Record last edited
Sep 2 2022 12:08PM
