| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Valliscaulian, Cistercian (after 1510) |
| Established | 1230 |
| Disestablished | 1634 |
| Mother house | Val-des-Choux |
| Diocese | Diocese of Moray |
| Controlled churches | Abertarff; Comar; Conveth |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Alexander II of Scotland John Byset |
| Important associated figures | Robert Reid |
Beauly Priory was a Valliscaulian monastic community located at "Insula de Achenbady", now Beauly, Inverness-shire. It was probably founded in 1230. It is not known for certain who the founder was, different sources giving Alexander II of Scotland, John Byset, and both. The French monks, along with Bisset (a nearby, recently settled landowner), had a strong enough French-speaking presence to give the location and the river the name "beau lieu" ("beautiful place") and have it pass into English. It is not the best documented abbey, and few of the priors of Beauly are known by name until the 14th century. It became Cistercian on April 16, 1510, after the suppression of the Valliscaulian Order by the Pope. The priory was gradually secularized, and ruled by a series of commendators. The priory's lands were given over to the bishop of Ross by royal charter on October 20, 1634. The ruins today are still extensive and are one of the main visitor attractions in Inverness-shire.