The Monastery

The Monastery is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott. Along with "The Abbot", it is set in the time of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Elizabethan period. The novel is centred on the Monastery of Kennaquhair, probably based on Melrose Abbey in south east Scotland, on the River Tweed. At this time, the Scottish Reformation is just beginning, and the monastery is in peril. A love story is interwoven as the Glendinning boys fall in love with Mary Avenel.