Overview
Some of Scotland’s greatest medieval monarchs were laid to rest at Dunfermline Abbey. Founded as a priory, Dunfermline was made an abbey by David I and later became a royal mausoleum.
Following the Protestant Reformation of 1560, Queen Anna of Denmark created an imposing palace with the monastic guesthouse at its heart. Charles I was delivered here in 1600 – the last monarch to be born in Scotland.
What to see and do
- Stand in awe of the hugely impressive nave, its Romanesque architecture strikingly similar to that of Durham Cathedral
- Marvel at the monks’ refectory, a towering structure that spoke volumes about Robert I’s confidence in his kingdom
- Search for the fossilised crustaceans in the marble plinth of St Margaret’s shrine
- See the James Ballatine Window in the Nave showing portraits of Queen Margaret, Malcolm Canmore, William Wallace & Robert the Bruce, alongside a Tiffany Window designed for Andrew Carnegie.
- Explore the only surviving Royal Guesthouse of the four built at religious houses
- Visit Robert the Bruce’s burial place and see a reconstruction of his original tomb.
- Take our fun fact-finding quiz while exploring the abbey
