Around 870 years ago, a Scottish king initiated four magnificent abbeys whose stones still grace the Borders region of southern Scotland. Two of the abbeys were home to the followers of St. Augustine of Hippo, the fifth-century North African saint whose feast the Church celebrates Aug. 28.

The abbeys were the idea of the newly crowned King David I. David, fourth son of Malcolm III (commonly known as Malcolm Canmore), was sent at 9 years old to the court of William II of England, where he spent more than 30 years. David became king when his brother Alexander I died in 1124, and he immediately set off for Scotland.

David’s biggest desires for Scotland: creating a lasting peace with the English and establishing a nation where the influence of the Church would have a positive social effect, much as it had in England.

What better place than the Scottish Borders to demonstrate good will towards England — and to show that Scotland had the power and wealth to build large religious houses.

Thus were the abbeys built: Kelso in 1128, Melrose in 1136, Jedburgh in 1138, and Dryburgh in 1150. Each was home to a different order of monks. It is ironic and tragic that the very closeness of these abbeys to England contributed to their eventual ruin. Each abbey has its own tales to tell, some of which still seem audible when walking among these grand buildings.

Kelso: The Tironensian monks, who moved from Selkirk Abbey when David I established it, started building what was to become the largest 13th-century abbey in the Scottish Borders. They constructed the original floor in the shape of the cross of Lorraine, and the surviving façade of the north transept — which was described by Sir Walter Scott as the most beautiful in Scotland — is rated as a spectacular piece of Romanesque architecture.

The monastery’s location at the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot rivers meant Kelso increased in importance and the abbey gained power and influence, culminating in the 1460 coronation there of King James III. Following the coronation, however, the abbey was constantly set upon by English invaders. In 1545, when the Earl of Hertford attacked, the abbey’s 100 defenders retreated into one of the towers; all of them were eventually massacred, along with 12 of the monks. By 1587, no monks were left to look after the building.

Melrose: At David’s invitation, Cistercian monks decided to create a new building at Little Fordell, now known as Melrose. The abbey prospered as a result of endowments of land and other assets. The peace of the abbey was shattered first by the attack of King Edward I in 1296, and then again in 1322 by his son Edward II.

Subsequent reconstruction was supported by Robert the Bruce, whose heart was reburied there on June 24, 1996 (his body lies at Dunfermline), exactly 682 years after his great victory at Bannockburn. Later in the 14th century, Scotland’s attempt to assist France in its war against England gave reason enough for Richard II to invade Scotland, during which time Melrose was burnt to the ground.

The abbey’s second rebuilding, parts of which can still be seen today, took 100 years. Construction was started using local sandstone from the Eildon Hills — and strangely enough, by English masons. Apparently, Richard II arrogantly believed the Borders were now part of his kingdom.

The next period of damage to the building occurred during Henry VIII’s Rough Wooing campaign (a period following his 1545 demand that his son, the future Edward VI of England, should marry the 5-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots). Still further disrepair resulted during and after the Reformation, when Melrose was left without monks.

Luckily, it is still possible to see Melrose’s soaring arches, vaulted ceilings, and many memorable carvings, such as a pig playing the bagpipes.

Augustinian Priory

Jedburgh: King David founded this Augustinian priory beside Jed Water. The abbey, made from local stone, took more than 100 years to complete. Not even a century after its completion, however, the abbey’s devastation began as successive English kings swept through the Border region. The final setback for the abbey came in 1545 during the Rough Wooing; Jedburgh was never rebuilt.

The site is dominated today by the flowing arches of the nave, resting on the sloping banks of the river. Due to the lay of the land, the original domestic buildings of Jedburgh Abbey were arranged on a series of terraced platforms that sat much lower than the level of the church and cloisters.

Consequently, a vast undercroft was constructed to raise the level of the buildings. The foundations of the chapter house, cellars and other accommodations, built on the lower levels, can still be seen. A charming feature of the site is the reconstructed cloister garden, which has been planted to give an impression of a monastery garden in the 1500s. The monks would have grown essential herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes.

Dryburgh: Hugh de Morville, Lord High Constable of Scotland, founded the abbey. The Premonstratensians, also known as the White Canons, who followed the rule of St. Augustine, arrived from Alnwick in England, and by 1152 had consecrated the church of St. Mary. It is the only foundation of this order to have survived to any substantial degree.

For nearly 300 years, from the early 1300s, Dryburgh suffered at the hands of the English. Despite the unrest, the canons managed to get through their daily rounds of prayer and contemplation. But by 1600, monastic life at Dryburgh had come to an end. The only parts of the abbey that were used after this time were the two chapels in the north transept of the abbey church, which became a burial chamber. Those lying in this hallowed environment include Sir Walter Scott and Field Marshal Douglas Haig, commander of British forces in World War I.

The north transept forms the main focus of Dryburgh’s present site, along with the west wall, rose window of the refectory and the 16th-century gatehouse.

Soon after the Reformation and having endured a turbulent history, these four beacons of prayer in the Borders died out, although the buildings of all but Dryburgh remained in use by the Reformed Church. In the years that followed, the abbey complexes gradually decayed, but thankfully, these monuments are today in the good hands of Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish government — and open to visitors all year round.

Julian Worker writes from New Westminster, British Columbia.