Churches, Monasteries, Abbeys & Cathedrals Archives

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #74: Abstract

December 1, 2019December 15, 2019myplaidheart

This week Patti has challenged us to “break the rules and go beyond the traditional realistic image of an object, scene, or element” to post a picture of something abstract. I immediately thought of these photos, taken at Elgin Cathedral in Elgin, Moray in the northeast part of Scotland.

This is the beautiful vaulted ceiling and column in the cathedral’s Chapter House, an octagonal room in which cathedral clergy met daily to discuss business. The Chapter House was built in the early 13th century and remodeled in the late 1400’s.

Kinloss Abbey

November 24, 2019December 5, 2019myplaidheart

It was late afternoon and Mr. C and I were on our way back to our cabin in Farr, tired from a full day of exploring sites in the Moray region of Scotland. We were driving on the B9089 through the village of Kinloss when I suddenly spotted some intriguing looking ruins out my window. I shouldn’t have been surprised – it is Scotland after all. You can’t drive five miles without coming upon some treasure or another (you think I jest). I had Mr. C turn the car around and though we were already worn out from our long day of adventuring, we ended up spending another hour or so happily exploring what turned out to be the amazing ruins of Kinloss Abbey.

Celebrate Halloween Like a Boss

October 31, 2019November 4, 2019myplaidheart

Hello!

A few of my friends have popped by today to wish you all a happy Halloween! They may look a little frightening but I promise they’re harmless. They are the vault bosses who reside at Elgin Cathedral in Elgin, Scotland.

***Elgin Cathedral dates back to 1224.***

Never heard of a ‘vault boss’? Yeah, I hadn’t either until I met these guys.

Laggan Free Church

June 16, 2019August 29, 2019myplaidheart

Like The White Bridge that I wrote about last week, today’s post features another amazing, serendipitous find. Scotland certainly does seem to be full of those.

One afternoon a few weeks ago, Mr. C and I were driving through the southwest portion of the Cairngorms National Park near the village of Laggan.

We had just turned onto General Wade’s Military Road from the A86 when we spotted the fantastic ruins of an old church to our left. Naturally, we pulled over to check it out.

Aberlady Parish Church

March 31, 2019August 24, 2019myplaidheart

Hi friends. What’s new with you?

The countdown to our next Scottish adventure is officially ON! The light at the end of a very long tunnel is finally shining through and the long wait is almost over. I am more excited than I can say. Oh, what wonderful new things I will have to share with you soon!

Today we are going to make a quick stop in the small coastal village of Aberlady, Scotland to visit Aberlady Parish Church. Aberlady is located about 17 miles to the northeast of Edinburgh in the council area of East Lothian – a very fine part of the country indeed.

Aberlady Parish Church is part of the Church of Scotland.

In my last blog post, I wrote about Lindisfarne Castle which sits on the religiously significant Holy Island. What a coincidence that today I learned that the community of Aberlady was once on the pilgrim route between the monasteries on Holy Island and the Isle of Iona! In fact, in 1863 a fragment of an ancient Celtic or Anglo-Saxon cross was discovered in a garden area next to the church. The carvings on the cross were found to be similar to artwork in the Lindisfarne Gospels, which now reside in the British Library in London. How magnificent!

Wordless Wednesday

March 6, 2019August 22, 2019myplaidheart

The ruins of St. Anthony’s Chapel in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland

St. Margaret’s Chapel

January 15, 2019August 24, 2019myplaidheart

Hello friends,

Do you ever feel like the gears in your brain get stuck? Seriously, I have been trying to put words to paper for four solid days and I haven’t been able to get past ‘hello’! Maybe it has something to do with the elephant sitting on my left sinus cavity. Anyway, if today’s post stinks, you will know why! 😀

**“And all I could say was, “hello”**. –*An Affair to Remember*, 1957

Today we’re going to take a quick look at the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. This is St. Margaret’s Chapel, located at Edinburgh Castle.

Wordless Wednesday

June 27, 2018August 24, 2019myplaidheart

St. Giles Cathedral

Edinburgh, Scotland

Inchcolm Abbey

May 28, 2018August 24, 2019myplaidheart

Hi Friends,

Did everyone had a nice weekend? I spent mine planting lots of pretty pink flowers, eating delicious food, visiting with family and friends, and writing a word or two. The long Memorial Day holiday is almost over and tomorrow it’s back to business as usual.

In today’s blog post, I’d like to point out a really interesting site located on the island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth (the estuary off Scotland’s east coast that flows into the North Sea). Mr. C and I first spotted the structure from the grounds of Lauriston Castle in Edinburgh.

fullsizeoutput_12f — As viewed from Lauriston Castle.

We had no idea what we were looking at that day and assumed it was a castle ruin. It wasn’t until we chartered a sailing tour of the Firth (a blast – more on that in a future post) that we saw this remarkable structure in clearer view. Turns out it was Inchcolm Abbey, the most well-preserved group of monastic buildings in Scotland.

St. Andrews Kirk

April 1, 2018August 24, 2019myplaidheart

Hope you are having a great weekend, Friends. If you are someone who celebrates the Risen Savior, Happy Easter!

Is the calendar really turning a page today? It feels like we just celebrated the new year and here it is already four months in. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I adore the month of April. The breeze blows softer, the grass turns greener, the sun shines warmer. With every new leaf that springs forth on the trees and every tender shoot that arises from the ground, I am reminded that all things are being made new once again. Kind of an appropriate allegory for today, I think.

With today being Easter Sunday, I thought it would be relevant to journey with you to the ruins of a place in Gullane, Scotland that no doubt saw many an Easter Sunday celebration.

That place is St. Andrews. Pretty neat, isn’t it?