Overview
Experience the tranquil ruins of a Cistercian monastery founded in 1219.
For more than 300 years, Deer Abbey was home to Cistercian monks. They seem to have lived a quiet and contemplative life until the Protestant Reformation of 1560 brought the abbey’s spiritual use to a close.
The abbey is associated with the Book of Deer, which was probably kept in the abbey’s library. This Gospel book was written around AD 900 but contains many additions from around 200 years later. These additions are the oldest body of Gaelic writing in Scotland.
