Pluscarden Abbey: I spent a day living alongside monks at Britain's only functioning medieval monastery

The Scotsman

I went to Pluscarden Abbey, in Moray, to experience what a spiritual retreat is like at Britain's only functioning medieval monastery.

Transcript

00:00Hidden in the hills of northern Scotland is Britain's only medieval monastery that's still

00:07alive with monks. Founded in 1230 by King Alexander II of Scotland, Plus Garden Abbey,

00:13just six miles from Elgin, has survived centuries of upheaval, ruin and restoration. Today it's home

00:20to a community of Benedictine monks who continue a rhythm of prayer and work, much like their

00:26predecessors did almost 800 years ago. The monks follow a strict daily schedule of prayer known as

00:32the divine office sung in Latin Gregorian chant, and visitors aren't just welcome to observe,

00:38Plus Garden offers unguided retreats where people of any faith can have a glimpse into the monastic

00:44routine. So I decided to try it out for 24 hours myself, but before that I sat down with Father

00:50Giles, Plus Garden's longest-serving monk who has been here for over 50 years.

00:56I'm Father Giles. I'm a Benedictine monk at Plus Garden Abbey. I've been a monk for 53 years.

01:05It's a quiet life in some ways. There's a lot going on, but it's not noisy or obvious. If it's what

01:14you are called to, then it's a great life. But if it's not what you're called to, it's impossible.

01:25People want to come and try being a monk. I think the record short stay is 20 minutes.

01:35And after 20 minutes, he desperately needed a cigarette.

01:38Now, I wasn't going to attempt to become a monk. Instead, I opted for a spiritual retreat at Plus

01:44Garden and hoped I'd stay at the Abbey for longer than 20 minutes. These retreats are where people

01:49of any faith have the opportunity to participate in the monastic life of prayer, reading, and work.

01:54I arrived on Monday evening and met prior Father Simon as well as Father Giles. Father Giles then showed

02:01me where I'd be staying, the St. Joseph's Guest House, which only opened in March and boasts nine

02:05en suite bedrooms. You can see here some of the facilities. It's much nicer than many hotels

02:11I've been to. However, it is not a hotel. It costs nothing to go on a retreat. However,

02:15a donation is much appreciated. I got ready and then attended Compline, which was the last office

02:22of the day. I learned from others that it's a popular favourite as the Psalms are always the same

02:27and so they can easily be recited entirely by heart. I ended up going to sleep later than expected

02:32after taking some notes. However, I woke up at 5.30 in the morning ready for the next day.

02:38I missed the first office as I was told it was being held in private and there wouldn't be much

02:43for me to see. I did some reading in the morning of the rule of St. Benedict, which is what the monks

02:47follow as Benedictines. I got ready for lords. You can see me looking very happy here and full of energy.

02:52It was the second office of the day. Monks pray the divine office, which they chant seven times a day,

02:58then they also do have mass. I sat right at the front and attempted to catch a glimpse of the monks

03:02who were partially hidden from the views of the public. I then had some breakfast while reading.

03:07I ate more than the banana. I also ate a croissant and then I did some more reading while I prepared

03:11for a mass, which was a very interesting experience for me as someone who has never been to Catholic

03:16mass before. After that, the monks get into their work gear and for me it was apple picking. So I joined

03:22a monk and we went to pick some apples. I was not in the right shoes for it. However, I thought the shoes

03:28would help me pick up the apples from the tops of the trees. However, this was not the case and instead

03:33the heeled shoes made me fall over as you can see. After this, it was the office of sext, which was one of

03:38the shorter offices of the day. Finally, it was lunchtime. Father Simon made me the typical lunch of a monk.

03:43Here there was vegetable soup, a plate of potatoes, eggs and green beans. You can see me taking a bite there, looking very happy.

03:48And next up was the office of nun, which followed with more work. I went on a walk with Father Giles

03:54and during this we went conquer picking and afterwards we walked to Saint Scholastica's,

03:59which is the old women's retreat. This retreat isn't as modern as the new one. It was made in the 90s.

04:06But during this time, I got to learn more lesser known facts about the monks. Like every new year,

04:10the monks get to pick a movie. Previous choices have been Top Gun Maverick, The Martian and Finding Nemo,

04:16which is all a great big surprise to me. We also head to Houtman Beach to do monkey things once a

04:21year, in Father Giles's words. And I looked around at the old women's retreat for a bit and compared

04:28it to the new modern one. It was very different and I also managed to go to the Postgarden Abbey shop

04:33and pick up a CD. The monks have a number of CDs and they're actually also on Spotify. And during the

04:40afternoon, a group of over 50 German tourists came for mass. Afterwards, I changed my sheets in my room for the

04:45next person to stay there. I heard the church bells in the Abbey. I hadn't been able to see them yet,

04:50but very kindly and without being asked, Barbara Giles didn't bring them for me.

04:56So afterwards was Vespers, which was also a favourite of many people I spoke to and maybe a

05:01favourite of mine too. It was a really nice service. And for the rest of the day, I went on a walk of the

05:05grounds, which were very peaceful. I liked how isolated the Abbey was from the noisiness of typical day-to-day

05:11life. Here's the automatic grass cutter, which is quite iconic in Postgarden Abbey. Overall,

05:16I had a great experience. I felt very welcome to my entire time at the Abbey. It was definitely a

05:20change of pace from the typical day-to-day life, but it was good to escape the hustle and bustle

05:25for 24 hours. Something that was on my mind though was how did someone make the decision to become a

05:30monk? It seems like one of the biggest commitments you could make. And luckily for me, I had someone who

05:36could answer the question. Barbara Giles has been at the Abbey for 52 years since he was 23 years old,

05:42and he told me his story right from the start when he visited Postgarden for the very first time in 1971.

05:48I used to do a lot of cycling. So I cycled up here one time. I think it was the 27th of September 1971.

05:59I met some of the monks and they were a weird looking bunch. Wellies and funny clothing for

06:06working outdoors when it went. Anyway, I came back later in the years, I guess, and I found it very

06:15appealing. So I said, you know, can I do a monk for a monk? So I said, yeah, sure. And I came in November,

06:23December that year, and affirmed my desire to go down this path. I feel that this was what I

06:30ought to be doing. March, the next year, I joined definitively. It's been down here, let us know.

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