This was to be a different day, although we had lots to do elsewhere we had decided that we were going to go to Nunraw Abbey at Garvald, home of a group of Cisterien Monks , where they were going to have a special service for the Knights Templars. The abbot was a member of the Order of St Lazerous and his fellow chaplain was a member of the Order of St John the Hospitalars who were the three crusading orders.
Ann and I picked up Sparky Mark, then Ricky and Pamela, and eventually Sandra and Gordon before heading east to Gifford where we stopped for a drink at the Goblin Ha in their beer garden, ( next to the old Town House there) then onto Garvald to the guest house at the abbey where the service was to be held. The place is majestic and I do not have time to put enough photos in to do it justice, but it is lovely. The place is open to the public and it is possible to go for up to a week at a time and use it as a retreat for meditating etc, or just chilling out.
Some 30 Templars were present with their friends and families for the service which the abbot led assisted by an army chaplain who was a member of the Order of St John.
The Chapel dates back to 1603 and pictures in the ceiling are of the states of Europe at that time and they were recently uncovered. A similar ceiling exists in Aberdeen Cathedral both portraying the state of Europe at that time.
A picture of a mosaic on the wall depicts St Bernard de Clairveaux who was the founder father of the orders,well worth researching.
We eventually left after wandering around the grounds, headed into Haddington, and then up to our Mercat Bar in Edinburgh for steak dinners
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