Beauly Priory Ruins, Beauly, United Kingdom

Beauly Priory was a Valliscaulian monastic community. It was probably founded in 1230. It is not known for certain who the founder was, different sources giving Alexander II of Scotland, John Byset, and both. The French monks, along with Bisset (a nearby, recently settled landowner), had a strong enough French-speaking presence to give the location and the river the name beau lieu ('beautiful place') and have it pass into English. It is not the best documented abbey, and few of the priors of Beauly are known by name until the 14th century. It became Cistercian on April 16, 1510, after the suppression of the Valliscaulian Order by the Pope. The priory was gradually secularized, and ruled by a series of commendators. The priory's lands were given over to the bishop of Ross by royal charter on October 20, 1634. The ruins today are still extensive and are one of the main visitor attractions in Inverness-shire.

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User Reviews

Ethan Keller (2 years ago)
Lovely little ruins worth a stroll if you're in town. There is also a sycamore with a 5.5 meter circumference truck out front in the cemetery.

Clive Hicks (2 years ago)
Beautiful location, tidy, preservation of ruins and tombs, with simple explanatory texts. Free admission. 15-20 minute stay.

i witfit (2 years ago)
Nice compact priory in good order offering a pleasant stroll when in the village and unlike so many free to visit. Though there appeared to be guided tours..

Sue W (2 years ago)
A stunning ruins. Google maps took us to a residential street behind the priory and we walked about to find the place. It's a well maintained site with a crypt that you can look into (through steel bars) and see statues of the dead, lying atop of their testing place. It's very interesting and with the visit.

Seòras MacInnes (2 years ago)
Lots of history about this place but nothing overly special. Mary, Queen of Scots visited as did Oliver Cromwell's army. 15th century tomb - well, it's certainly incredible to have survived the years but there's no more than a name on the plaque so with no historical context it's just another dead guy. Still, lovely setting in a Beautiful Place

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