Sweetheart Abbey

Today's the day ........................... for a love story

This is the Abbey of Dulce Cor, or as it is better known - Sweetheart Abbey - a Cistercian monastery built on the banks of the River Pow, about 8 miles south of Dumfries.  

It was founded in 1275 by Lady Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway, in memory of her husband, John de Balliol. She was one of the most powerful landowners in Scotland - her wealth and influence rare at a time when women's possessions usually passed to their husbands.  After her husband's death in 1268, she kept his embalmed heart, contained in a casket of ivory and silver, with her for the rest of her life.  It was buried alongside her in the Abbey when she died in 1289 - her 'sweet, silent companion'.

This was as close as I could get to the Abbey today, as it is presently undergoing a complete structural survey to make sure that visitors are kept safe.  It must have been an impressive sight at one time .....................