Description:

In 1496, while returning from a siege of Norham Castle on the English side of the border, James IV was swept from his horse by a sudden flash flood. His men pulled him from the water just in time to save him from drowning. Believing his survival was thanks to the Virgin Mary’s intercession, James ordered a church to be built in her honor, facing Norham and its castle from the Scottish side of the river. Construction began around 1500.