Kirkoswald Parish Church

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kirkoswald Parish Church

The Kirkoswald Parish Church is a church building of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in the Scottish village of Kirkoswald in the Council Area South Ayrshire . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A. The church is still in use as such.

history

Kirkoswald Old Church

The church history at this place supposedly goes back to the year 633, when the Northumbrian King Oswald fought a battle nearby. Previously, he committed himself to building a church in this place in the event of a victory. The name of the village Kirkoswald ("Oswaldskirche") is derived from this. To this day, if this building was ever built, it has completely disappeared. The predecessor of today's church was built around 1200 and can be found as a ruin in the churchyard around 150 m to the northwest.

The Kirkoswald Parish Church was built in 1677. At the same time, the architect Robert Adam was working on the nearby Culzean Castle . Based on stylistic features, it is assumed that Adam was at least involved in the design of the church. It would be Adam's only church building.

The ancestors of the writer Robert Burns are buried in the churchyard of the old church. Likewise, the real role models of various characters from Burns' works. It is not clear whether Burns himself ever attended church. After the end of the Second World War , Dwight D. Eisenhower received an apartment in Culzean Castle in gratitude. Eisenhower visited the Kirkoswald Parish Church at least twice. Once in 1959, during his second term as US President , and once in 1963.

The parish owns a medieval baptismal font , in which Robert the Bruce was supposedly baptized. At that time it is said to have been installed in the nearby Crossraguel Abbey . It is said to have been brought to this place during the turmoil of Cromwell's time . A Robert the Bruce enthusiast once bought the pool. In his will, however, he decreed that it should be returned to its location in Kirkoswald. This happened after his death in 1938.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ Network presence of the parish
  3. ↑ a b c d Information about the church building ( Memento from May 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Entry on Kirkoswald Parish Church  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 55 ° 19 ′ 43.8 "  N , 4 ° 46 ′ 35"  W.