Holy Trinity Church, Spynie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holy Trinity, Spynie |
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The site of the church in the graveyard at Spynie
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| Location | Spynie, Moray |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| History | |
| Authorising papal bull | 7 April 1206 |
| Founded | 1207 |
| Founder(s) | Bishop Brice de Douglas |
| Dedication | The Holy Trinity |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Ruin |
| Architectural type | Cathedral |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Moray |
The Holy Trinity Church, Spynie was once a very important church in Spynie, Moray, in north-east Scotland. Until 1735, it was the main local church, known as a parish church. Even more importantly, it served as the main church, or cathedral, for the Diocese of Moray between 1207 and 1224. A diocese is the area a bishop is in charge of.
Today, you won't see any parts of the old church building. However, its old graveyard is still there, close to Spynie Palace. Two burial vaults and a cross now mark where the church used to stand. This graveyard is also the resting place of Ramsay MacDonald, who was once the Prime Minister of Britain.
History of the Church
The church at Spynie has a long history, possibly starting even before the 12th century. In the early days, the Bishops of Moray didn't have one fixed main church. They moved around between churches in Spynie, Birnie, and Kinneddar.
Between 1172 and 1174, King William the Lion agreed with Bishop Simon de Tosny to give some of his payments, called teinds, to the Holy Trinity church. Teinds were like a tax, often 10% of someone's income, paid to the church. Bishop Simon also made a similar deal with Freskin of Duffus Castle about land near Spynie. Later, Bishop Richard de Lincoln confirmed these agreements. However, Bishop Richard decided to make Kinneddar his main church instead.
Spynie Becomes a Cathedral
The main church of the Moray area was moved from Kinneddar to Spynie by Bishop Richard's successor, Bricius de Douglas. This was part of a big change to how the diocese was run. In 1207, Pope Innocent III sent an official letter, called a papal bull, to confirm Spynie as the new cathedral. The letter explained that this decision was made because Spynie was a good central location for managing the diocese. It was also not in a dangerous or exposed place.
A new set of rules was put in place, similar to those at Lincoln Cathedral. This created a small group of eight church officials, called a chapter. These officials, known as canons, included a dean, a precentor, a treasurer, a chancellor, and an archdeacon. They helped the bishop run the diocese.
Moving to Elgin
We don't know how much of Bishop Bricius's cathedral at Spynie was built before he died in 1222. But on July 19, 1224, Bishop Bricius's successor, Andreas de Moravia, decided to move the main church again. This time, it moved about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south to Elgin. The bishop said that Spynie was too open to dangers from war. He also said it was too isolated and hard to get supplies for church services.
The money meant for building the church at Spynie was also moved to Elgin. However, Spynie still remained the local parish church. It also became a "prebend" of Elgin Cathedral, which meant it provided income for one of the officials there. Spynie Palace, which was nearby, also stayed the main home for the Bishop.
The local church for Spynie was moved to New Spynie in 1745. The new church was built in 1736, partly using stones from the old Holy Trinity Church. The last part of the old church, a gothic gable, fell down in 1850. In 1924, people found the church's old foundations. They showed a small church building, about 23 metres (75 ft) long and 10.5 metres (34 ft) wide. Most of the building, except for the eastern wall, was made simply from clay.
