St Athernase Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Athernase Church |
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| 56°22′57″N 2°53′03″W / 56.38263°N 2.88417°W | |
| OS grid reference | NO 455 215 |
| Location | Main Street, Leuchars |
| Country | Scotland |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Leuchars |
| Presbytery | St Andrews |
St Athernase Church is a very old church in Leuchars, Fife, Scotland. It was built in a special style called Romanesque. This means it has thick walls, round arches, and often small windows. The church is a very important historical building, known as a Category A listed building. It is still used today as a Church of Scotland parish church.
History of the Church
The oldest parts of St Athernase Church, like the main area near the altar (called the chancel) and the rounded end (called the apse), were built in the 1100s. The outside of these parts has cool decorations called "blind arcades." These are like rows of arches that are just for show, not for walking through. They have the typical round Norman arches from that time.
In 1185, a local lord named Ness, son of William, gave the church to the religious leaders (called canons) in St Andrews. Later, around the year 1700, a bell tower (called a belfry) was added to the church. In 1858, the main part of the church where people sit (called the nave) was repaired and made new again.
What You Can See Inside
St Athernase Church is usually open for visitors during the summer. At other times, you can arrange a visit. Inside, you can find some interesting old items.
- Ancient Cross-Slab: There's a piece of a stone cross from the 800s. It was found near the village and looks a lot like other old stones found at St Andrews Cathedral.
- Memorial Stones: You can also see three fancy stone memorials from the 1500s. These stones remember members of the Bruce family of Earlshall, who were important local landowners (called lairds). One of these stones shows a full-length picture of a woman. The drawing style is simple, but it's really helpful for seeing what clothes people wore back then!
The Mystery of the Name
For a long time, people thought this medieval church in Leuchars was named after a saint called St Athernase. However, this idea came from a mistake made in the 1800s. Someone misread an old list of church names from a medieval book called the Register of St Andrews Priory.
The old book listed a church dedicated to "St John the evangelist and St Athernase the confessor" in a place called Losceresch. But Losceresch was not Leuchars. Leuchars was spelled differently in old records, like Lochris or Locres. The church of Losceresch was actually the parish church of Lathrisk (which is now part of Kettle parish in Fife). So, St Athernase is actually the patron saint of Lathrisk, not Leuchars.
We don't know for sure who the patron saint of Leuchars is. But some old writings suggest there was a local saint named St Bonoc. This name isn't found anywhere else outside of Leuchars parish. There was even a chapel dedicated to St Bonoc with its own chaplain (a type of priest).
The name "Athernase" might come from an older name, Itharnán. This name is also found in other places in Fife, like Kilrenny and the Isle of May. Itharnán was an Irish missionary who, according to old records, "died among the Picts" (an ancient people of Scotland) in the year 669.
See also
