The Monastery

We are a community of Benedictine monks of the Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation’s English Province, in the north-east of Scotland – the northern-most Benedictine abbey in the world! Our Abbey is in a rural area of forests, hills and agriculture, 200 feet, 60m above sea-level. Our nearest town is Elgin (30,000 inhabitants, 6 miles/10 km away, we’re about 3½ hours by road from the capital, Edinburgh, and from Glasgow. Aberdeen is about 2 hours away, and is the seat of our Diocese of Aberdeen, where our previous abbot, Dom Hugh Gilbert OSB, is now our Bishop.
There are airports at Inverness, an hour away, and a larger airport at Aberdeen, about 2 hours distant. There are regular train and bus services to Elgin from the cities.
Our bishops describe Pluscarden as the spiritual heart of the diocese, which is growing in numbers. Our community consists of about twenty monks, we have a succession of monks from Vietnamese and Ghanaian monasteries staying for formation. Our daughter-house, St. Mary’s monastery, seventy miles west of Boston in Massachusetts, has 6 monks. Two of our former monks are members of Kristo Buase monastery. Three of our monks are currently studying theology.

The History

Pluscarden Abbey was founded in 1230 by King Alexander II, for Valliscaulian monks from Burgundy. The post-Reformation ruins were bought by 3rd Marquess of Bute, and his nephew, Lord Colum Crichton-Stuart gave them in 1943 to Prinknash Abbey, who in 1948 re-founded Pluscarden with five monks.
In 1966 came autonomy and we elected our first Prior, Dom Alfred Spencer, from Prinknash; in 1974 he became our first Abbot. Under him the monastery grew in numbers, and in 1989 helped found Kristo Buase and adopted St. Mary’s Monastery as a foundation. The liturgy and buildings were restored, especially the 13th century Chancel.
In 1992, Dom Hugh Gilbert, was elected as second Abbot; he developed many areas of the community’s life, continuing rebuilding work, completing the Cloister and building a new retreat house.
In 2011 Abbot Hugh was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen by Pope Benedict XVI, and the community elected Abbot Anselm Atkinson, who had previously been Superior at St. Mary’s, as his successor. As re-elected Visitor of the far-flung English Province he has wide responsibilities.
We are currently working towards building St. Joseph’s, a new women’s retreat and community library.

The Activities

• The community has no external apostolate, it chief effort is directed to prayerful celebration of the Work of God, in Latin and Gregorian chant, in accordance with the rites renewed by the Second Vatican Council, and using the current Solesmes liturgical books.
• We have guest-houses for male and female retreatants, attracting individuals from all over the world, of all faiths and none. We make no charge for this. We welcome groups from schools, parishes and colleges who come to us for retreats. We have a large and active group of secular oblates. We host some formal lectures and other events.
• The ancient buildings in their beautiful setting attract many tourists and visitors, for whom the numinous church services are a special experience. With local help we seek to extend and improve our hospitality and facilities.
• Our garden provides much of our vegetarian diet, as well as products for sale in our shop, which also sells our apiary’s justly-famous honey, soaps, balms, and a range of our own Gregorian chant CDs. As well as maintenance and domestic chores such as cooking, the brethren are also occupied in manufacturing votive candles and other art and craft-work, such as book-binding.