Saint Drostan Old Church And Burial Ground On Visit To New Aberdour South Of Moray Firth Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video clip, with Scottish music, of the old church of Saint Drostan on visit to New Aberdour, Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dobhair, located just south of the Moray Firth Coast. The old church of Aberdour was built on the site of a church whose history goes back to the fifth century and was closed in 1818 when the present church came into use. The parish records were destroyed during the removal. St Drostan's Church was mentioned in 1178, 1318, 1577 and 1599. The existing ruins are not earlier that the 16th century. The rubble walled burial ground contains 18th and 19th century and subsequent tombstones. Saint Drostan was an Abbot and evangelist, who brought Christianity to the North East of Scotland. He may have been of royal descent but was entrusted to the care of Saint Columba, who some sources say was his uncle, who trained him for a monastic life. Drostan followed Columba when he came to Aberdour in Aberdeenshire. The Pictish ruler of Buchan gave them a site at Deer, some 14 miles inland, where they established a monastery some time between 563 and 597 AD. When Columba returned to Iona it was Drostan whom he left there as Abbot. It was here that the Book of Dier was written in the 9th Century, one of Scotland's most important manuscripts. No trace of this monastery remains, it having fallen into decay, to be replaced by a Cistercian abbey in 1213. This continued in use until the Reformation, when it, too, fell into disrepair. St. Drostan remains the patron saint of the village and the Episcopal Church is dedicated to him. Some time later, St. Drostan succeeded as the Abbot of the abbey at Holywood in Dumfries and Galloway. He later resigned this position to enjoy a life of greater seclusion as a hermit at Glen Esk. Here Drostan preached, attracting the pious, and is said to have performed several miracles, including restoring sight to a priest called Symon. After his death, Drostan's body was carried by his followers back over the mountains to Aberdour and his relics were preserved there. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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