Sancta Maria Abbey, Nunraw
Encyclopedia
Nunraw Abbey or Sancta Maria Abbey, Nunraw is a working Trappist
(Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae) monastery
. It was the first Cistercian house to be founded in Scotland
since the Reformation
.
Founded in 1946 by monks from Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea
, Ireland
, and inaugurated as an Abbey in 1948, it nestles at the foot of the Lammermuir Hills
on the southern edge of East Lothian
. The estate of the abbey is technically called White Castle
after an early hill-fort on the land.
of Haddington
, the area that they settled becoming known as Nunraw (lit. Nun's Row). The Nunnery of Haddington was founded by Ada de Warenne
, Countess of Huntingdon
and daughter of the Earl of Surrey
, soon after the death of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
, and the small evidence that is available suggests that Nunraw was a Grange of that convent.
TRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
(Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae) monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. It was the first Cistercian house to be founded in 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...
since the 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...
.
Founded in 1946 by monks from Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea
Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea
Mount St. Joseph Abbey is an abbey of the Trappist branch of the Cistercians located in Roscrea, North Tipperary in Ireland.The abbey was founded in 1878 by a group of 32 Monks from Mount Melleray Abbey, County Waterford...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and inaugurated as an Abbey in 1948, it nestles at the foot of the Lammermuir Hills
Lammermuir Hills
The Lammermuir Hills, usually simply called the Lammermuirs , in southern Scotland, form a natural boundary between Lothian and the Scottish Borders....
on the southern edge of East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
. The estate of the abbey is technically called White Castle
White Castle, East Lothian
Whitecastle was originally a hillfort in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills, two miles south of the village of Garvald, . It later formed part of a landed estate which is known today as Nunraw...
after an early hill-fort on the land.
History
Originally owned by the Cistercian NunsCistercian nuns
Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church.-History:...
of Haddington
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...
, the area that they settled becoming known as Nunraw (lit. Nun's Row). The Nunnery of Haddington was founded by Ada de Warenne
Ada de Warenne
Ada de Warenne was the Anglo-Norman wife of Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumbria and Earl of Huntingdon. She was the daughter of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey by Elizabeth of Vermandois, and a great-granddaughter of Henry I of France...
, Countess of Huntingdon
Earl of Huntingdon
Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The title is associated with the ruling house of Scotland, and latterly with the Hastings family.-Early history:...
and daughter of the Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey was the son of William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey and his first wife Gundred. He is more often referred to as Earl Warenne or Earl of Warenne than as Earl of Surrey....
, soon after the death of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
, and the small evidence that is available suggests that Nunraw was a Grange of that convent.
List of Abbots
The modern establishment has had four Lord Abbots since its inception:- Father Michael Sherry, O.C.S.O. ( d. 2003) Superior of the foundation between 1946 and its inauguration in 1948.
- Dom Columban Mulcahy, O.C.S.O.(1900-1971), Lord Abbot between 1948-1969
- Dom Donald McGlynn, O.C.S.O., Abbot-emeritus and Lord Abbot between 1969-2003, a "Chief" of the Igbo peopleIgbo peopleIgbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
in Nigeria. - Dom Raymond Jaconelli, O.C.S.O., Lord Abbot from 2003-2009
- Dom Mark Caira, O.C.S.O., Lord Abbot from 2009