While
living, Robert the Bruce made a request that his heart be buried in the
Holy Land. He died in 1329 and was buried in Dumfernline. Per
his request, a soldier carried his heart to the Holy Land but was killed
on the trip. The heart was recovered and brought back to Scotland
where Robert's son - then King David II asked that it be buried at
Melrose.
The burial
place of the heart was forgotten over the centuries, but rediscovered in
1996 during an archeological excavation. The Scots reburied the
heart and held a contest for the design of the marker.
The marker
has an X symbolizing St. Andrew's cross that appears on the Scottish flag,
and a heart through which the X weaves. The inscription reads,
"A noble heart may have nane ease, gif freedom failye."
Translation- A noble heart cannot be at peace if freedom is lacking.
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