Field Visit
Date 31 August 1927
Event ID 1098502
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1098502
Culross Abbey.
The Cistercian Abbey of Culross (‘Culenross’), founded by Malcolm, Earl of Fife, in 1217, and dedicated to St. Mary and St. Serf, is situated north of the burgh on high ground which falls sharply southwards to shore-level. The parts remaining are the eastern portion of the abbey church, which has served as the Parish Church (cf. No. 149) since 1633, the incomplete southern wall of its nave, and portions of the cloister buildings. The parish church was restored in 1905; the other parts are in the custody of H.M. Office of Works.
On the south and east of the cloister hardly anything is left save the greatly reduced remains of the underbuilding, which was necessary to secure a normal arrangement of the conventual buildings on such a site. It is possible, however, to fix the position of the chapter-house, as part of the entry to it has survived at the cloister level (Fig. 161). On the north of the cloister is the church; on the east lay the south transept and the dorter range; the southern side was presumably enclosed by the frater and its offices; while, on the west, are remains of the cellarium, the accommodation for conversi or lay brothers, which includes their frater, the day-stair to their dorter, and the parlour, which ,was used as a transe between the outer court and the cloister (Fig. 159).
The plan presents two special features. The church is unaisled, like that of Balmerino (NO32SE 2), and the monastic frater apparently lay parallel to it - archaic planning in a Cistercian house, but possibly to be explained by the sharp drop in the ground to the south, which would have made extension in that direction difficult.
[see RCAHMS 1933, 70-77, for a detailed description of the church, tombs, stone coffins, bells, conventual buildings etc., and a historical note]
RCAHMS 1933, visited 31 August 1927.
