Crossraguel Abbey

Crossraguel may have been a Christian site in Scotland as early as the fourth century. The name may derive from the "Cross of Raighail" ("Cross of Regulus"). Regulus was a Greek monk who fled to Scotland in the fourth century.

Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick donated the lands to Paisley Abbey. At that time, however, only a small oratory was built. In 1244, the Bishop of Glasgow settled a dispute between Earl Donnchadh and the monks by instructing the monks to establish a daughter monastery in Crossraguel. The first abbot was installed in 1286.

During the Scottish Wars of Independence Crossraguel was sacked in 1307 by the army of Edward I. It was rebuilt on a larger scale and remained a monastery until 1560, when the Reformation ended monastic institutions in Scotland. However, the few remaining monks were allowed to live out their time there until the last monk died in 1601.