A small but rare Dominican chapel whose tracery and stone vault survive in the middle of a busy street after the rest of the friary disappeared.
Quick facts
- Date
- Friary established in the later 15th century; chapel built in the 1520s; friary destroyed in 1559
- Architect / designer
- Medieval builders unidentified; work supervised by Dean George Hepburn according to the site history
- Type
- Ruined Dominican chapel and surviving fragment of a friary
- Designation
- Standing chapel remnant associated with scheduled Dominican Friary (SM13321); property in care
- OS grid reference
- NO 50764 16565
A fragment that reveals a vanished monastery
Large traceried windows open through four sides, while the fifth wall was left blank for an altar. Cross-ribs meet at carved bosses in a stone-vaulted ceiling, combining Dutch-influenced window forms with a characteristically Scottish vault.
Its story
Dominicans were established in St Andrews during the later Middle Ages. A bequest allowed rebuilding from 1516, and the chapel was added in the 1520s. Reformers destroyed the friary in 1559, leaving the chapel as its principal standing remnant.
Why it is included
It adds a small-scale monastic survival and lets the directory distinguish a visible property-in-care fragment from wider buried scheduled archaeology.
What to notice
- Loop-like tracery in the large windows.
- The cross-ribbed stone vault and carved bosses.
- How the ruin projects into South Street, reflecting its constrained medieval site.
Reading the surroundings
The chapel is open-air and free to visit beside an active street. The visible ruin is not the full scheduled monument; buried archaeology extends beyond it.
Timeline
- Later 15th century A Dominican community was established in St Andrews.
- 1516 Rebuilding of the friary began after William Elphinstone’s bequest.
- 1520s The surviving chapel was added.
- 1559 Reformers destroyed the friary.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Historic sources give 1525 for authorization or completion while the visitor summary says the 1520s. The visible property-in-care chapel and the wider SM13321 scheduled area must not be treated as identical.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Blackfriars Chapel — Current access, history, architecture and visitor context.
- Historic Environment Scotland: Dominican Friary, SM13321 — Scheduled status and relationship to the property in care.
- Trove: Blackfriars Chapel — Property-in-care status, archaeology and precise location.
Explore further
Location
OS grid reference NO 50764 16565 · Location confidence: High: the property-in-care catalogue gives a one-metre point and the visitor page confirms the address. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
Suggest a marker correction
Suggest a more accurate position
The teal marker is the current published position. The orange marker starts slightly to its right so both remain visible; this is only a visual starting position. Tap the correct place on the map or drag the orange marker. Sending this form creates a private review entry only; it does not move the published marker.
Check this area in Google Maps Choose the Satellite layer there if useful.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.