It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust as I stepped into the dark tunnel system. I welcomed the cool air that provided relief from the hot and humid conditions outside as I began to carefully make my way down the numerous stairs that would guide me to one of the most sacred places in Scotland- St. Margaret’s Cave.
For those who might not know, St. Margaret is the patron saint of Scotland, and I was making a pilgrimage that thousands before me have made. However, this spiritual journey was almost lost to history just a few decades ago. Before I take you further on this exploration, let me explain a bit of the history of St. Margaret and her cave.
Margaret was a Saxon princess born in Hungary around 1047 to a father who was an exile of the old English royal family. The family was able to move to England around 1062, but Margaret had to flee to Scotland with her family, when her father died. It was arranged that she would marry King Malcolm of Canmore at Dunfermline and they wed around 1070.
Historically, caves were a place where holy men of the Celtic church would journey to as a place of retreat where they could pray. Queen Margaret would continue this practice where she would go to a cave to pray as part of her Roman Catholic faith.
One of Queen Margaret’s chief areas of concern was caring for the poor and she did so personally. Specifically, she worked with orphans and those who were seriously ill, providing food for them.
Queen Margaret also encouraged pilgrimages to St. Andrews. Notably, Dunfermline was a ‘statio’, which was a complex of buildings offering welfare, sanctuary and security to pilgrims. Historical accounts say that Queen Margaret would wash the feet of tired pilgrims on their journey. To further help them with their arduous treks, she established a ferry that crossed the Forth. Thus, that is why we now have North and South Queensferry.
When Queen Margaret was canonised, Dunfermline became the ‘Saint’s Holy Shrine’ and a special place of pilgrimage throughout Europe. However, following the Scottish Reformation, Catholicism and its practices (including pilgrimage) were no longer allowed. It wasn’t until 1899 that the first Catholic pilgrimage to St. Margaret’s Cave was held (the Catholic hierarchy had been re-established in Scotland in 1878).
Annual pilgrimages to St. Margaret’s Cave were held on the Sunday falling closest to the 10th of June, St. Margaret’s Day. Thousands of Roman Catholics would make the pilgrimage each year (with the highest amount being 18,000). However, as I mentioned previously, this sacred place was almost destroyed.
I don’t know what it was about the 1960s, but it seems that so many ignorant decisions regarding historical heritage and places were made during this period; St. Margaret’s Cave was no exception. In 1962, the Fife Council decided that they wanted to fill in the glen- including St. Margaret’s Cave- to make way for a car park! Fortunately, many in the town were outraged by the plans and signed a petition to make sure this didn’t happen. Thank goodness the Council listened and while they still decided to create the car park, they also agreed to create a way for people to access the historical holy site. Thus, they created a unique tunnel system with pedestrian access to St. Margaret’s Cave.
Which brings us back to our visit last September. As I slowly made my way down the tunnel steps, I felt my anticipation growing. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I could feel the history start to envelope me as I finally reached the cave entrance.
As I made my way into the cave, it was as if I had travelled back in time to centuries past and my breath caught a bit as I took ‘sight’ of St. Margaret kneeling in prayer.
As I further examined my surroundings, I imagined it must have been quite uncomfortable to kneel on the hard rock surface, and I further admired Margaret for her devotion to her faith.
For me, the cave naturally encourages contemplation and reflection, and I said a wee prayer for loved ones in my life- past and present. With one final nod to St. Margaret, I left her cave and started the climb back up to the ‘surface’.
St. Margaret’s Cave is tucked into a wee corner of the Glen Bridge car park in Dunfermline. While our beloved Golden-angel, Sawyer, obviously wasn’t allowed into the cave, he took the time to regally pose outside the entrance.
Starting this weekend (as of the time of this writing), the OnFife CulturalTrust has announced that St. Margaret’s Cave will be open for the summer of 2024 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until the 29th of September. Entry is free, however, you must pre-book in advance in order to visit the Cave. They further state that “visits must be booked 48 hours in advance either by phone (01383 602365), by email to dclg@onfife.com or by popping into Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries”. Furthermore, please note that Sunday 23 June is the exception to the above as that is when the annual St. Margaret Pilgrimage takes place. OnFife states that, “the cave will be open to all from 12.15-3.30pm to allow visiting pilgrims and locals alike to visit the site where St. Margaret would come to pray over 900 years ago”.
Unfortunately, St. Margaret’s Cave has mostly been closed the past few years and only opened as a trial last year for three weekends in September (which is when we visited). Therefore, if you are in Fife this summer, we highly recommend that you take advantage of this rare opportunity to visit such an important Scottish historical site.
Until next time- Explore & Discover!
