The Priory is situated on an Island in the middle of the Lake of Menteith. It can be reached by taking a 7 minute journey on the small ferry boat from the Port of Menteith.
The Priory was built in 1238 for a small community of Augustinian Canons. In 1547 the English defeated the Scots at Edinburgh. This prompted the departure from Stirling Castle of the dowager Queen Marie of Guise with her four year old daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, to the priory. It was chosen for its proximity to Stirling as the nearest place of Sanctuary.
