OSCR Scottish charity profile

Pluscarden Abbey

ActiveCharity number SC013703
Registered6 April 1946
Main locationMoray
Legal formUnincorporated association

01 Identity

Scottish charity record

Snapshot 25 August 2026
OSCR charity number
SC013703
Status
Active
Regulatory type
Standard
Designated religious body
No
Geographical spread
UK and overseas
Volunteers
1-50 volunteers
Staff
1
Postcode
IV30 8UA

02 Purpose and work

What the charity exists to do

Pluscarden Abbey is a medieval monastery, founded in 1230 and refounded in 1948. It is home to eighteen Benedictine monks. Each day, visitors participate in any of the eight services in church, including the Divine Office and the holy Mass. The monks celebrate the services using Gregorian Chant sung in Latin. Upon the monks' arrival in 1948 the buildings were ruinous, so the community has always had the objectives of 'restoration, maintenance and extension of Pluscarden Abbey'. Since 1948, we have restored the church, the main east range and the cloisters. and have built the men's guest house and 2 guest houses for women. Guests are received for charity and there is no tariff or 'suggested donation'. Guests can experience the unique silence and peace and participate in Christian worship which reflects beauty. Numbers around 400 to 500 each year. The Abbey grounds are always open to the public, free of charge, with visitor numbers counted at just under 40,000 per annum.

Charitable purposes

  • the advancement of religion
  • the provision of recreational facilities, or the organisation of recreational activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities or activities are primarily intended

Beneficiaries

  • No specific group, or for the benefit of the community

Activities

  • It carries out activities or services itself

Constitutional objectives

The advancement of religion For the restoration or maintenance or extension of Pluscarden Abbey.

03 Annual returns

Income and expenditure history

5 periods
Year endIncomeExpenditureStaffReturn received
31 December 2024£701,674£553,514126 September 2025
31 December 2023£664,186£576,295128 April 2025
31 December 2022£505,957£510,439129 September 2023
31 December 2021£445,868£476,393129 September 2022
31 December 2020£434,776£404,328129 September 2021

Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.

04 Contact record

Principal office or trustees address

Address supplied to OSCR
Pluscarden Abbey, Pluscarden, Elgin, Moray
Website supplied to OSCR
www.pluscardenabbey.org
Parent charity
Not supplied

No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.

05 Provenance

Source for this profile

© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.