Blackfriars, St Andrews
Encyclopedia
Blackfriars is the modern name for the Dominican
friary of St Mary which existed in St Andrews
, Scotland
, in the later Middle Ages. The name is also used for the modern ruins.
The foundation of a full Dominican house was preceded by a small oratory or hospice. As James Beaton
, archbishop of St Andrews
, claimed that he and his predecessors were founders of the house, it is likely the foundation was episcopal. The foundation of the house was probably prompted by the needs of the University of St Andrews
.
and the Dominican friary at Cupar
were taken over by St Andrews friary, with the friary at St Monans partially united. While the friars at Cupar moved to St Andrews, friars were left at St Monans to live out their years.
The house was severely damaged by the forces of Norman Leslie
[of Rothes] in 1547. Sometime after 14 June 1559 but before 22 June 1559 the friars were "expelled from their destroyed place" by Protestant reformers. This was part of a general movement, associated with the Scottish Reformation
, hostile to friaries and other aspects of the old Catholic order. The property of the house was given by to the burgh of St Andrews by Queen Mary on 17 April 1567. The remains of a vaulted apse
lie where Bell Street meets South Street, outside Madras College
.
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
friary of St Mary which existed in St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in the later Middle Ages. The name is also used for the modern ruins.
History
Some later sources claim that the friary was founded in the late 13th century, but these are spurious, and its actual foundation probably did not occur until the mid-15th century. The first known prior of the house is attested on 22 November 1464.The foundation of a full Dominican house was preceded by a small oratory or hospice. As James Beaton
James Beaton
Dr. James Beaton was a Scottish church leader, the uncle of Dr. David Cardinal Beaton and the Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland....
, archbishop of St Andrews
Archbishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews and then, as Archbishop of St Andrews , the Archdiocese of St Andrews.The name St Andrews is not the town or church's original name...
, claimed that he and his predecessors were founders of the house, it is likely the foundation was episcopal. The foundation of the house was probably prompted by the needs of the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
.
Expansion
In the 1510s at least, the friary was expanded, the number of brothers rising from two to five. In 1519 the Hospital of St NicholasSt Nicholas Hospital, St Andrews
St Nicholas Hospital was a medieval hospital in St Andrews, Fife. It was located around what is today St Nicholas farmhouse at the Steading, between Albany Park and the East Sands Leisure Centre. Of unknown origin, the establishment served as a hospice for lepers outside the town between the beach...
and the Dominican friary at Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
were taken over by St Andrews friary, with the friary at St Monans partially united. While the friars at Cupar moved to St Andrews, friars were left at St Monans to live out their years.
The house was severely damaged by the forces of Norman Leslie
Norman Leslie (soldier)
Norman Leslie , was a 16th-century Scottish nobleman. The leader of the party who assassinated Cardinal Beaton, he was forced to flee Scotland, serving the monarchs of England and France...
[of Rothes] in 1547. Sometime after 14 June 1559 but before 22 June 1559 the friars were "expelled from their destroyed place" by Protestant reformers. This was part of a general movement, associated with the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
, hostile to friaries and other aspects of the old Catholic order. The property of the house was given by to the burgh of St Andrews by Queen Mary on 17 April 1567. The remains of a vaulted apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
lie where Bell Street meets South Street, outside Madras College
Madras College
Madras College is a secondary school in St. Andrews, Fife in Scotland.-History:Madras College, founded in 1832, takes its name from the system of education devised by the school's founder, the Rev Dr Andrew Bell....
.