St Kenneth's Chapel

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St Kenneth's Chapel
Cross plates
Gothic lancet windows

The St Kenneth's Chapel , also St Cainneach's Chapel or Inchkenneth Chapel , is a ruined church on the now uninhabited Scottish Hebridean island of Inch Kenneth . It is located in the southeast of the island near the coast with a shallow stretch of beach that is suitable for landing boats. The ruin is classified as a Scheduled Monument .

history

The exact construction period of the church is not recorded. However, based on architectural features, it can be concluded that it was in the 13th century. The earliest written mention to this day comes from 1380. From this and another mention in 1549 it is known that it served as the main church of the Parish . In the 16th century at the latest, but probably since earlier, St Kenneth's Chapel was subordinate to the nunnery on Iona , an institution of the Augustinian order . Probably the church was no longer used after the abandonment of the monastery complex on Iona in 1547 and fell into disrepair over the centuries. Due to the inclination of the east wall, reinforcements were added in the 16th or 17th centuries. In 1815, the outer walls were probably still intact, but have since collapsed in part.

graveyard

There are numerous graves in the cemetery south of the church. Inside the church there are eight cross plates , which probably date from the 14th to 16th centuries. There are also graves from the 17th and 18th centuries. The cemetery is still occasionally used as such today. In the southwest corner of the fenced area is a slate Celtic cross . It was erected there in 1926, but was probably made between 1500 and 1560.

Individual evidence

  1. Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. a b Entry on St Kenneth's Chapel  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Commons : St Kenneth's Chapel  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 56 ° 26 '28.5 "  N , 6 ° 9' 32.9"  W.