Its funny, when we think of the middle ages in Europe and the structures that were built, we mostly think of castles, but sometimes we think of those great cathedrals that were built. Most, if not all, cathedrals when viewed from the air, are built in a cross shape. Many of them contain Gargoyles. The Gargoyle was a demonic shape carved and placed on the cathedral. It originally referred to the drains of the cathedrals which were later carved into the shape of strange animals or beasts. The Grotesque was similar to a Gargoyle but it was decorative and did not serve any other function as did the Gargoyle. The usual type of construction was with an abutment, which was a reinforcing block or wall. This added great support to vaults and arches. Some times hammer beams were used, they were beams that protruded from the walls at right angles and braced wooden roofs.

What amazed me was the fact that generations of families would work on the same cathedral. It could take hundreds of years to complete, talk about job security. When I was in Europe I went to Scotland. I visited Paisley, the town that made the Paisley pattern famous. In that town is a magnificent cathedral called the Paisley Abbey. I decided to take some pictures of it. It is quite old, dating from 1163, and very interesting. From the outside it just doesn't seem that old, I guess being surrounded by modern day Paisley, a bustling town, has something to do with that. Paisley would be a city anywhere else, but in Scotland to be a city you needed a university, a river, a bishop, and a cathedral. Paisley now has a university but since it is the biggest town in Scotland, it doesn't want to become just another city.

Left: Notice the beautiful stone work both on the windows and the area above the columns
Right: You can see that the walls here are build from stone blocks

You look up at the area above the columns and you see the beautiful windows and portals of the cathedral and you realize that no one today would be able to afford the type of work that created this monument, even if the skilled workmen were available. It was a different era when this house of worship was built, and workmanship mattered more than anything else.

Left: Beautiful stained glass window
Right: Tomb

The stained glass windows are incredible, featuring some of the best work of this type I have ever seen. But the cathedral didn't only serve as a house of worship, it also was a place with royalty was buried. It had been expanded several times to include several graves. Buried in the Abbey are six High Stewards, Marjory Bruce, Robert II`s wives and Robert III.

Left and Right: Tomb, different views

There was a fire in the Abbey in 1498 but it was restored by 1553. Then the tower collapsed, it destroyed the roofs and upper walls and the Abbey was open to the elements for the next 350 years.

Left: A piece of the original Abbey found buried
Right: A long wooden bench

The Abbey has been under constant restoration and this work still continues. It 1981 a new timber ceiling was installed.

Ornamental carvings on the long wooden bench

The Abbey is a fascinating place and well worth the time of a visit. Many people are too busy castle hopping to get there, but these people will have missed an opportunity to view a piece of unique history.