Saintly statues return to Melrose Abbey

The figures of St Peter, St Paul, St Andrew and Mary took pride of place yet again within the Abbey on Saturday.

The four sandstone statues were removed from display in the 1980s due to fears that the carved sandstone was vulnerable to further weathering and damage.

And they were replaced with modern replicas in the niches around the Abbey.

During their time in storage restoration work has been carried out on the statues by expert conservators.

All four were cleaned and previous repairs were meticulously removal of previous repairs following damage during the Reformation..

The statues date to the early 15th century during the rebuilding of Melrose Abbey after it was destroyed by the armies of Richard II in 1385.

Jill van Millingen, collections manager at Historic Environment Scotland, said: "It's fantastic to see these special artefacts restored and back in their rightful home at Melrose Abbey.

“The niche statues, which survived damage after they were defaced following the Reformation, give us a unique insight into this turbulent period of Scottish history.”

Visitors can now view the statues in the Commendator’s House Museum, while specially made replicas will remain in the Abbey niches where the original statues once stood.

Exhibited alongside the statues will be a collection of artefacts discovered during archaeological excavation at Melrose Abbey in the early 20th century.

David I founded Melrose Abbey, the first Cistercian monastery in Scotland, in 1136.

Being so close to the border placed it on the front line of conflict with England during the later Middle Ages.

Rebuilding began in the late 1380s and it remained in use as an abbey until the Protestant Reformation of 1560.

While only a very small part of the first abbey church survives, Melrose Abbey is still considered one of the best examples of medieval church architecture anywhere in the British Isles.