Eynhallow Church facts for kids
Eynhallow Church is an old, ruined church on the island of Eynhallow in Orkney, Scotland. This island is not lived on by people. The church was built way back in the 1100s! People think it might have started as a monastery, which is a place where monks live and worship. Close by, you can also see the remains of an old village that was built after the Middle Ages. A group called Historic Environment Scotland made it a special protected site, called a scheduled monument, in 1921.
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Exploring Eynhallow Church
The ruins of Eynhallow Church are found on a hillside on the southwest side of Eynhallow island. This island is located between Rousay and Mainland, Orkney. The church building no longer has a roof. It is about 21 meters long and 7 meters wide. Over time, the church was changed and used as a home, starting in the 1500s.
What You Can Still See
You can still see many parts of the church's original structure. The best parts that remain are the walls of the entrance area, called the porch. You can also see the triangular upper parts of the walls, called gables, in the main part of the church, known as the nave. The foundations of the chancel walls, which is the area near the altar, are also visible.
Inside, the church has a rectangular main area (the nave) with a porch at the west end. At the east end, there is a square-shaped chancel. It's possible that a tower was later added on top of the west porch. Some pieces of carved red sandstone were found in another building nearby.
The Old Village Nearby
To the southwest of the church, there are remains of a village from the 1500s. This village has the foundations of at least four houses that were connected to each other. These houses might have been built on top of even older structures. These older buildings could have been connected to the church itself. The village area is about 30 meters by 30 meters in size.
Visiting the Island
You can usually get to Eynhallow by private boat from Rousay or Mainland, Orkney. However, in January 2022, the site was closed to visitors. This was because experts needed to check the stone walls to make sure they were safe.
History of Eynhallow Church
We don't know a lot about the early history of Eynhallow Church. It might have been part of a monastery, possibly for a group of monks called the Benedictine order. We do know that the church was built in the 1100s. The island's name, Eynhallow, comes from the Old Norse words Eyin-Helha, which means Holy Isle. This suggests that Eynhallow was an important religious place long ago.
From Church to Homes
By the 1500s, Eynhallow, as an island church or monastery, was no longer used for religious purposes. The church building was changed and used as a place for people to live. In 1851, there were four small houses, called cottages, still on the island. When the people living there became sick, perhaps from bad water, they had to leave the island.
When these cottages were taken down, and a roof was removed from one of them, the foundations of the old medieval church were found! Experts like T.S. Muir and Sir Henry Dryden later studied these remains. In 1897, Professor T. Lethaby looked at the ruins even more closely. In 1911, the site was put under the care of the Office of Works. Eynhallow Church was officially made a protected monument by Historic Environment Scotland in 1921.
Myths and Legends
Eynhallow is also a special place in old Norse folklore, which are traditional stories from the Nordic countries. People used to say it was the home of the Finfolk. These were mysterious, mythical beings who could change their shape.
The island is even mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga. This is an old story that tells about the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands. One story tells how a boy named Olaf was taken from Eynhallow in 1155. Olaf was likely a student at the monastery there at the time.
