Sweetheart Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland 7 Aug 2025

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:

7 May 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
26 Sep 2024Blue-throated toucanet, Los Quetzales National Park, Costa Rica
8 Sep 2024Great North Run
Whats a distaff?
14 May 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park
2 Jan 2024Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
2 Jul 2024Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
24 Oct 2025Night view of the RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California, United States
1 Sep 2024Totally Thames Festival, London
25 Apr 2024World Penguin Day
17 Apr 2026International Bat Appreciation Day
Passing with flying colours
31 Jul 2024Hoodoos, Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
A triumphant pose
In the running
Stretching to the sky
22 Mar 2026World Water Day
12 Oct 2025Village of Saranac Lake, New York, United States
11 Dec 2025International Mountain Day
1 Jan 2026Happy New Year!
18 Jun 2024Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Home of the worst-smelling food?
26 May 2025Baobab trees, Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar
14 Jul 2024Burrowing owl chicks
14 Sep 2024Last Night of the Proms
The buffet is open
An oasis in a sea of sand
13 Oct 2023Vieste, Apulia, Italy
Beauty by the bay
14 Feb 2025Happy Valentines Day!