Birnie Kirk

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Birnie Kirk

The Birnie Kirk , formerly St Brendon's Church , is a church building of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland near the Scottish town of Elgin in the Council Area Moray . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A. Your rectory is classified separately as a Category C building. The surrounding cemetery with its tombstones, however, is protected as a Scheduled Monument .

history

It is doubtful whether it is an early Christian location in Scotland. One clue is the dedication of the church to Saint Brendan , an Irish missionary who worked in the 6th century. Archaeological research could not provide any evidence for this. It should be noted, however, that current buildings could overlay early Christian traces. On the other hand, there is a pictorial class 1 symbol stone on the area , which could indicate a pagan use of the site.

The Birnie Kirk was built during the 12th century. It was probably the earliest seat of the bishops of Moray , a diocese that no longer exists today. Simon de Tosny , the fourth Bishop of Moray, who died in 1184, is buried in the Birnie Kirk cemetery. With the construction of the Elgin Cathedral in 1224, its possible use as a bishop's see certainly ended. Today the Birnie Kirk is the oldest continuously used church site in the region.

Over the centuries, the Birnie Kirk has been significantly redesigned twice. In 1734, among other things, the west gable was rebuilt and the nave was shortened. The Scottish architect Alexander Marshall Mackenzie was entrusted with the extensive revision in 1891 . The windows on the south facade were last revised in 1975.

description

The Birnie Kirk is isolated in the valley of the Lossie about four kilometers southwest of the center of Elgin. The elongated hall church is simply designed in Romanesque style. The 14.45 meter long and 7.40 meter wide nave is adjoined on the east side by the narrower, 5.85 meter long choir . The arched main portal is on the south side. The three arched windows along the facade are more recent. A smaller door leading to the choir is surrounded by medieval windows that were moved to this place in the course of a revision. With the exception of a lancet window in the choir, the north facade with a closed pointed arch portal has no windows. A small roof turret with an open bell sits on the western gable . The final gable roof is covered with slate .

Rectory

Initially classified as a Category B building, the rectory with the stables was downgraded to a Category C monument in 1988. The house is essentially from the 19th century, but older fragments are incorporated into the structure. The east-facing facade of the two-story building is five axes wide. Its quarry stone masonry is plastered and whitewashed with Harl , with natural stone surrounds. Four or twelve-part lattice windows are used. The roof is slated.

graveyard

The original cemetery comprises a slightly elliptical area with a diameter of around 50 meters. In order to enable an extension, the encircling quarry stone wall on the north side was removed. A Pictish Class 1 symbol stone near the church is made of granite . The stone is 1.07 meters high and 60 cm deep and wide. It shows a Z-rod, an eagle and a rectangular structure.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Scheduled Monument - entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  4. ↑ a b Entry on Birnie Kirk  in Canmore, the Historic Environment Scotland database (English)

Web links

Commons : Birnie Kirk  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 57 ° 36 ′ 41.2 "  N , 3 ° 19 ′ 47.2"  W.