Founded in 1163 by the first High Steward of Scotland, Paisley Abbey stands on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, about seven miles west of Glasgow. Now a parish church of the Church of Scotland and the mother church of the town, it began as a Cluniac priory and was raised to the status of an abbey in 1245. Its founder, Walter FitzAlan, brought around thirteen monks from the Cluniac priory at Much Wenlock in Shropshire to establish a community on a site associated with the earlier Celtic saint Mirin. The abbey grew in importance and is famously known as the "cradle of the Royal House of Stewart": it is the burial place of six High Stewards and of Marjory Bruce, daughter of Robert the Bruce, whose son was born here in 1316 and became King Robert II. Much of the original building was destroyed by fire in 1307 and rebuilt during the fourteenth century, while the collapse of the central tower in the mid-sixteenth century left the transepts and choir in ruins. After the Reformation in 1560 the walled-off nave became the parish church, and the ruined sections were restored only in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to create the building seen today. The present Gothic and Gothic-revival church is a Category A listed building, noted for its medieval nave, royal tombs, fine woodcarving and stained glass. It remains an active place of worship with regular Sunday services, while also welcoming visitors to its sacristy exhibition, gift shop and coffee shop. Tradition links the young William Wallace, born in nearby Elderslie, with an education at the abbey, adding to its place in Scottish national memory. As both a working kirk and a major historic monument, Paisley Abbey combines continuous worship since the twelfth century with a central role in the story of the Stewart dynasty.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Abbey Close, Paisley, United Kingdom, PA1 1JG

Website: https://www.paisleyabbey.org.uk

Opening Date: 01/01/1163