St Boniface Kirk (Papa Westray)

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St Boniface Kirk

The St Boniface Kirk is a Presbyterian church building on the Scottish Orkney island of Papa Westray . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in Category B. In addition, the building and the surrounding cemetery are individually classified as Scheduled Monuments .

history

The settlement of the area can be traced back to the Iron Age . The Iron Age settlement of Munkerhoose is not far from the church. Later, an early Christian center was probably located at this location, as indicated by two Pictish cross plates that were discovered in the cemetery and whose origin is dated to the 8th century. The church building dates from the 12th century. An exact construction date has not yet been determined, but an event from the Orkneyinga saga in 1137 could have occurred there. Around the year 1700 the church was expanded and largely rebuilt. The St Boniface Kirk was still used regularly until the 1920s. After the merger between the Free Church of Scotland and the Church of Scotland , the parishes were merged and the St Boniface Kirk abandoned. In 1993 the building was restored.

description

St Boniface Kirk is on the west coast of Papa Westray not far from Kirkhouse Cottage . The masonry of the one-story, elongated building is made of quarry stone . The facades are plastered with Harl . The entrance is in the middle on the west side and is accessible via a front staircase. There are two windows on the south side and one on the north side. The gables of the slate-covered gable roof are made as a stepped gable . During the renovation, the ceiling was redesigned. Wherever possible, the old wooden fittings were reused. A quarry stone wall surrounds the adjacent cemetery. The tombstones located there date back to the 12th century.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  4. ^ Entry on St Boniface Kirk  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 59 ° 21'27.1 "  N , 2 ° 54'7.4"  W.