Dunfermline - Abbey

The Abbot's House in the old monastery was adapted to accommodate a Heritage Center in 1994 and it details the history of Dunfermline and the abbey.

The grave of Robert I, victor at Bannockburn and Scottish hero, was rediscovered by accident in 1818. His last remains now lie under the pulpit, with a brass plate marking the spot supported externally by stepped piers (16th century). It is thought that the builders of Durham Cathedral influenced the style of the interior. The six-arched arcade with cylindrical pillars is one dominant feature, but many visitors are also impressed by Sir Noel Paton's stained-glass window (19th century) on the west portal. Both the medieval refectory and Robert Pitcairns's Abbot's House (16th century) are sections of the old monastery buildings that have been well preserved.

Queen Margaret died three days after her husband and was canonized in 1250. Shortly after, a chapel was built at the west end of the abbey in her memory. The marble shrine of St Margaret and most of the superstructure were destroyed in the chaos which followed the Reformation (1560), but the chapel foundations are still a place of pilgrimage.