Inchmahome Priory, Port of Menteith By Kippen, Co. Stirling
Its location in the middle of the serenely still waters of the Lake of Menteith, makes an isolated and ethereal setting for the ruins of Inchmahome Priory.
The island
The priory was built in 1238 for Augustine monks by the wealthy Earl of Menteith, Walter Comyn. Known as the ‘isle of rest’ this island was ideally suited to the Augustinians, who’s order decreed that monks would spend long periods in deep prayer.
The architecture of the priory includes spectacular Romanesque archways at the entrance on the west front and the mouldings inset on the piers of the north isle are believed to be based on the Augustinian Abbey at Holyrood.
One interesting footnote in the Priory’s history comes in 1547 when a four year old Mary Queen of Scots was in hiding here during the ‘Rough Wooing’. Henry VIII of England went to war with Scotland to get Mary to marry his young son and claim the Scottish throne. Though she only spent three weeks here, it is believed she spent a lot of that time playing in the boxwood bower of trees in the centre of the island.
Aerial VIew of Ruins
The Priory and the Augustinian order that settled here fell into obscurity following the reformation and it ceased to be a place of prayer. Afterwards it was used as the last resting place of nobles. The Chapter House was turned into a mausoleum for the Earls of Mentieth and the carved grave slabs and plaques to various members of the Graham family; the island’s last owners, are to be found in the priory grounds.
One thing that remains forever is its peaceful beauty. The cloister is a perfect place for contemplation and the island is a beautifully peaceful place, surrounded by a variety of trees and iridescent flowers. Though you may find that tranquillity spoilt by the midges and tourist hordes that both swarm here in the summer.
