Beauly Priory (derived from "beau lieu", or "beautiful place") was founded around 1230AD as a Valliscaulian religious house - one of only three throughout Britain (all in Scotland) . Work on the church is believed to have been completed by 1272AD.

In 1430AD, Sir Hugh Fraser of Lovat complained to the Pope that the priory was being mismanaged and was falling into a state of decay. This resulted in a restoration program being undertaken to restore the fabric of the priory.

In 1510AD, the Valliscaulian order was suppressed by the Pope, and Beauly Priory was transferred to the Cistercian order.

Following the reformation, Beauly Priory fell into disuse, and the lead was stripped from the building in 1582AD. Subsequently, the priory fell into decay.

The church is the only part of the priory that remains standing today. There's not much to see, but if you're in the area, it's worth stopping off at the town for a visit.