Mortlach Parish Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mortlach Parish Church |
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Mortlach Parish Church, viewed from the south
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| 57°26′20″N 3°07′41″W / 57.43889°N 3.12806°W | |
| Location | Mortlach, near Dufftown |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic (prior to the Scottish Reformation) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Category A listed building |
Mortlach Parish Church is an old and important church located near Dufftown in Scotland. It's part of the Church of Scotland. This place has been a center for Christian faith for a very long time, possibly since the year 566! That's when St Moluag is believed to have started a religious community here.
An ancient Pictish stone was found at the church. It dates back to between the 600s and 800s. You can still see this special stone in the church's burial ground today. For a while, in the 1000s and 1100s, Mortlach was even home to a bishopric, which is like a main church for a bishop. Later, this moved to Aberdeen.
The church building you see today has parts from the 1200s. It has been changed and updated many times over the centuries. The most recent big changes happened in 1931. Mortlach Parish Church, its burial ground, and a small watch house are all protected as a Category A listed building. This means they are very important historical sites.
Contents
What Does Mortlach Church Look Like?
Mortlach Parish Church has a special "T" shape. Most of the church was built in the 1800s and 1900s. But it still has many older parts from the Middle Ages and later. The main part of the church, called the nave, is rectangular. It faces east to west, just like the original 1200s building. A newer section, called an aisle, sticks out from the north side.
The church walls are covered in a rough plaster called harling. This helps protect them from the weather. Some parts, like the corners and window frames, use smooth, cut stone called ashlar. The end wall of the north aisle is made of exposed rough stones.
Outside Features of the Church
The south side of the church has a central section that sticks out. It has a pointed roof, called a gable. This part has three narrow, tall windows. Above them, in the gable, is a window shaped like a four-leaf clover.
The east end of the church looks most like it did in the Middle Ages. It has three tall, narrow stained-glass windows. Two are near the ground, and the middle one reaches up into the gable. These windows, along with old monuments, are why the church is a listed building. The west end also has an original window from the Middle Ages.
The two main doors are at each end of the north aisle's gable. Between them is a large window with three parts. On the north side of the church, there's a staircase. This leads up to the galleries inside. On top of the north aisle's gable, there's a small, eight-sided tower. This tower holds the church bell.
Inside the Church
The north aisle of the church holds old gravestones from the 1500s and 1600s. These include stones for important local families. You can also see a large stone decoration with a sundial on it. People think this used to be on one of the church's gables.
At the east end of the main church area is a raised section called the chancel. Here you'll find a marble font, which is used for baptisms. There's also a wooden pulpit (where the minister speaks) and a communion table. These were added in the 1930s. The wooden pews, or benches, throughout the church are also from the 1930s.
There are galleries inside the church. One is in the north aisle, and another is at the west end of the nave. The gallery at the west end has a large pipe organ.
The Watch House
The church's watch house is also part of the protected site. It's a small, many-sided building with a pointed window. This building is quite old and needs some repairs. It has cracks in its walls and some roof tiles are missing. Because of this, it was added to the "Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland" in 2008.
The Burial Ground
The burial ground around the church is also part of the protected area. It's still used today and has been made larger over time. It's an uneven shape and is surrounded by stone walls with metal railings. You can find gravestones here from the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s. Some of these are Commonwealth war graves for soldiers from the First and Second World Wars.
In the burial ground, you can also see the famous Battle Stone. This is a Pictish stone with a Celtic cross carved on it. It also shows different animals and monsters. The stone is believed to be from between the 600s and 800s. People traditionally think it marks a battle, but we can't be completely sure.
History of Mortlach Church
The land where Mortlach Parish Church stands has a very long connection to Christianity. It's believed that St Moluag founded a monastery here around the year 566. Later, King Malcolm II is thought to have made a church bigger here in 1010. He did this to give thanks after winning a battle.
King Malcolm II is also believed to have set up a bishopric at Mortlach. Historians generally agree that at least three bishops were based here before 1140. The bishopric later moved to Aberdeen during the time of King David I.
The oldest parts of the church building we see today are from the 1200s. Over the centuries, the church was changed many times. It went from a mediaeval style to a Georgian style, then to a Gothic Revival look. Finally, it was changed to the more simple mediaeval style you see now.
The north aisle was first added in 1826. It was made larger in 1876 by an architect named Alexander Marshall Mackenzie. The part that sticks out on the south wall, which used to hold the organ and pulpit, was also added around this time. During these changes, the old lancet windows in the east gable were uncovered again. They had been hidden during earlier renovations.
More of the church's mediaeval features were restored between 1930 and 1931. This work was done by A. Marshall Mackenzie & Son. The main part of the church, the nave, was largely updated then. The organ was moved to the gallery at the west end. The pulpit and communion table were moved to the raised chancel at the east end.
Mortlach Parish Church, along with its watch house and burial grounds, was first listed as a Category B listed building in 1972. It was then upgraded to the highest level, Category A, in 1987.
Current Use of the Church
Mortlach Parish Church is still an active place of worship today. It is part of the Church of Scotland. The church is led by Rev Eduard Enslin.
