(no subject)

[endlessrarities]

Back to Paisley Abbey now.

It owes its origins to Walter Fitzalan, who during the reign of David I brought a group of Cluniac monks from their mother house in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, and settled them in nearby Renfrew, where a Royal castle was situated.  In 1177, the monks transferred to a site in Paisley, which was already associated with a local saint, Saint Mirin.

Here's the inevitable nave shot:-

 

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to explore the chancel.  This visit being tied into a shopping trip, we had to rush back to beat the parking ticket...

Anyway, I must apologise to Edward I.  I was well aware that Paisley Abbey was burned during the Scots Wars of Independence, but evidently this event didn't take place until 1307, i.e. during the reign of Edward II.  Never mind: Edward I committed sufficient atrocities elsewhere throughout Scotland and Wales which more than make up for this omission on his part.  He evidently focussed his ire on Dunfermline and Scone instead.. 

Following this calamity, a period of massive rebuilding took place in the later 14th century.  The results speak for themselves:-

 

 

Of particular note is the route that runs around the clerestorey.  In the overwhelming majority of abbey and cathedral churches, this takesthe form of a passage that runs through each pillar.  In this case, the route skirts around the pillar, along the projecting corbelled platforms that stick out over the nave below.  The effect is very striking.

There'll be more from Paisley Abbey next week.  As for the information included in this post, it is all derived from The Monastery & Abbey of Paisley (2000, ed. John Malden), and in particular, from The Abbey and Monastery of Paisley by John Malden which is included in this volume.