Sweetheart Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland 7 Aug 2025

Sweetheart Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

If you"re wandering through Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland and stumble upon a striking red sandstone ruin, chances are you"ve just found Sweetheart Abbey. This is a 13th-century tale of devotion that still stands, stone by stone. Founded in 1273 by Lady Dervorguilla of Galloway, this Cistercian abbey wasn"t just built for monks and prayers—it was built for love. When her husband, John de Balliol, passed away, Dervorguilla had his heart embalmed and placed in a silver casket. She carried it with her everywhere, like a medieval love letter on repeat. When she died, the heart was buried with her at the abbey she named in his memory—Dulce Cor, or "Sweet Heart."

© Westend61/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

One on land, a million in space
Small but mighty
7 Aug 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Happy Boxing Day!
23 Jun 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh
2 Nov 2025Maple and bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
24 Aug 2025Notting Hill Carnival
13 Sep 2024Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA
19 Oct 2023Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
13 Apr 2024Grand National
18 Dec 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
7 Sep 2024Annas hummingbird
29 Nov 2025Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
3 Sep 2025St Barbaras Cathedral, Kutná Hora, Czechia
Eyes on the skies
3 Jan 2025Happy Birthday, JRR Tolkien!
23 Nov 2025Fibonacci Day
Owl be seeing you
25 Dec 2023Christmas Day
1 Aug 2024Floating fruit market, Kaptai Lake, Rangamati, Bangladesh
19 Oct 2025Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States
Go with the flow
12 Dec 2023Reed bunting
Aug 23, 2023Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
7 Feb 2024St James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
31 Aug 2024Rocks and sand in the Sahara, Algeria
A prehistoric pavement
26 Oct 2024Gespensterwald, Nienhagen, Germany
Piecing together a better tomorrow
21 Feb 2025Champaka Sarasi, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
13 Oct 2025Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England
13 Jan 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Zebras enjoying their day