Mechtan's Church
Mechtan's Church , (also Nechtan's Church , Kilnaughton Chapel or Gaelic Cill Neachdain , German Mechtan's Church ) is a now in ruins church on the Scottish Hebridean island of Islay . Together with the surrounding cemetery, it is classified in category B in the British list of monuments . The namesake is probably the Scottish saint Mechtan , who died in 679.
location
The ruined church is right on the shores of Kilnaughton Bay near the scattered settlement of Kilnaughton , both of whose names are derived from that of the church. Two kilometers to the west is the Port Ellen ferry terminal and 16 kilometers to the north is the island's capital, Bowmore . Mechtan's Church is located in the middle of a 60 × 50 m historical cemetery, which is directly adjacent to a newer cemetery.
history
When the church was built is not known. Much of the substance seems to come from the 15th century. There is evidence that the east side was built as early as the 13th century. Due to the fact that it is named after a saint from the 7th century, it cannot be ruled out that a previous building was built at this point at this time.
Mechtan's Church was in the area of Parish Kildalton , the main church of which was the Kildalton Chapel to the east of the parish . This precludes using Mechtan's Church as the main church. As the earliest evidence of the existence of the church, a mention from the 17th century can be used, which tells of the two churches of Kildaltan and Kilnachtan . In 1651 it was decided to build a new church near Lagavulin , which should replace the two churches. However, since the new church was not completed until the end of the 17th century, it can be assumed that services were held in Mechtan's Church at least up to this time. In 1794 the bad condition of the church building is mentioned and the fear that it could be buried together with the cemetery by drifting sand. In 1828 a new church called The Oa Church was built on the Oa Peninsula , which served as the main church of Parishs Oa , established in 1849 . In 1895 parts of the building were buried under sand.
description
The building is located in an east-west direction and has internal dimensions of 11.7 m × 4–5 m. Although there is no longer a roof, the roughly one meter thick walls are largely intact. The church floor, which is now grassy, was originally about a meter above the surrounding ground. The building could be entered through two entrances on the west side. There are traces of two corner windows on the east-facing wall. Another is suspected to be in the north wall. The northeast corner is crossed by stone girders, which suggests that it was used as a storage space. Based on their height, it is assumed that the floor was higher in this part of the church. Two opposite holes in the western part of the building could indicate the presence of a balcony for the laird .
Finds
A total of 14 cross plates of various ages were found in the church . The oldest dating probably from the 14th century and comply with the styles of the Cross Slabs of Iona . The most recent plate shows the year 1747. With the exception of two, which are on display at the Museum of Islay, all finds are in the church.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b c d e f Entry on Mechtan's Church in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
Coordinates: 55 ° 37 '40.3 " N , 6 ° 13' 13.8" W.