Church of our Lady, Star of the Sea
The Church of our Lady Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic church building in the town of Castlebay on the Scottish Hebridean island of Barra . In 1980 the building was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in Category B. The church is still in use as such today.
history
In 1805 a chapel dedicated to Saint Brendan was built in a small scattered settlement near the west coast of Barra. At that time it was the only Roman Catholic church on Barra. At the beginning of the 19th century, however, the building turned out to be too small for the parish. In 1858, St Brendan's Church , which is still in use today, was completed near the old chapel . Only with the construction of the Church of our Lady, Star of the Sea was a second Roman Catholic church building on the island in 1888. Later, St Barr's Church on the east coast and finally St Vincent de Paul Church in Eoligarry in 1963 were built.
With the rise of Castlebay to an important port for the herring fishery and the resulting increase in population, the Brendan's church became too small for the parish. Since the population of Barra was relatively poor at that time, it was difficult to collect the financial means for a new church. In his will, the merchant Neil MacNeil from the neighboring island of Berneray left the sum of £ 600 for the purchase of suitable land. After several donations were received, construction of the church in Castlebay began. The design came from the architect G. Woulfe Brennan from Oban . The church building was opened with a mass on Christmas Eve in 1888. The first clergyman was James Chisholm , who previously headed the Brendan's Church and drove the construction in Castlebay. After sufficient donations were received from the population, the bell tower was equipped with a bell and clock in 1891. In the following year, the construction of the associated rectory began.
description
The church, built in neo-Gothic style, is located on a slight hill above the coastline. The bell tower occupies the southeast corner of the elongated nave. Like the rest of the building, the four-storey, tapering tower is made of cut quarry stone with decorative ribbons made of ashlar. Several pointed arched windows are distributed over the tower and church clocks are installed on three sides. The tower closes with a battlement-like parapet and a pyramid roof . The gable side to the left of the tower is occupied by a lancet triple window . Pointed arch windows are also installed along the long sides. The building ends with a gable roof .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b c Information from the parish
- ↑ Information from the parish
Web links
- Entry on Church of our Lady, Star of the Sea in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland database
- Network presence of the parish
Coordinates: 56 ° 57 ′ 18.9 ″ N , 7 ° 29 ′ 5.5 ″ W.